


soaring through the sky

by loaf (rkivedmemories)



Series: crooked crown [1]
Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, Dragon Taehyun, Dragons, Drama, Eventual Romance, Fluff, Friendship, Knight Yeonjun, M/M, Magic, Magical Tattoos, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Noble Huening Kai, Noble Soobin, Prince Beomgyu, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-13
Updated: 2020-08-05
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:35:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22221136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rkivedmemories/pseuds/loaf
Summary: “I wonder if we are the ones writing our stories, or if it is already written out for us.”sometimes fate is a funny thing. it does whatever it wants, to whoever it wants to, it’s not easily understood and can be very confusing.this time fate decided that history would repeat itself but with a little twist.jan 2021 (update)my laptop broke so ive decided to put stty on hiatus ;-;
Relationships: Choi Beomgyu/Kang Taehyun
Series: crooked crown [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1890760
Comments: 15
Kudos: 68





	1. emerald eyes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter was posted to gauge interest. it's not edited so sorry for the mistakes, i hope you enjoy <3
> 
> (most likely will be rewritten later)

Beomgyu looked at his mirror and changed his hairstyle for the third time. It was a habit of his to mess around with his hair when he was nervous. Today was a big day for him. It was the day he would be partnered up with a dragon.

It was an honor to be paired up with a dragon, and the dragons thought the same way with about the Royal Family.

Since Beomgyu was of age now, his father, the King, decided it was time for him to choose his partner. All the training and lessons he did were going pay off. He had been preparing for this moment his whole life.

A knock on the door startled him out of his thoughts. He walked out of his bathroom and sat down on a couch near the entrance.

“Come in.”

An elderly man walked into his chambers and bowed. He had gray hair and kind, brown eyes and was wearing a black suit, looking very neat and composed.

“Your Majesty, happy birthday. Your breakfast is ready and waiting for you. Are you ready for the day?”

Beomgyu grinned. “Thank you, Jungho. I am ready. Will my mother and father join me today?”

“Yes, they will. They are waiting for you,” Jungho replied with a smile before excusing himself to check up on other things going on in the palace.

Beomgyu made his way to their dining area and along the way many of the palace workers wished him a happy birthday. Today started off as a great day, and he was excited.

When he arrived, two guards stationed outside opened the door. He thanked them and walked to the table where his parents were seated. His mother noticed him first, and she smiled at her son.

“Happy birthday, Beomgyu.”

She pulled him in for a hug and he couldn’t keep the grin off his face. When she let go his father pulled him in for a hug as well.

“Happy birthday, my son.”

“Thank you.”

He felt lucky since his parents gave him a lot of love and affection despite being so busy. He loves them both and he really wanted to make them proud. He will show them that he can be a great king one day with his dragon companion. He sat across from his mother and the workers brought their food.

“Are you prepared for the ceremony?” the King questioned.

Beomgyu took a bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully before he nodded.

“I’m ready.”

“I hope you know that after today you gain new responsibilities. You not only have to take care of yourself, now you must care for your companion as well. The dragons swore loyalty to the Crown, but that does not mean they are not our equals.”

“I understand, Father. I promise to take care of my companion.”

The King smiled and felt pride swell in his chest. His son grew up well and he knew that Beomgyu would do something amazing in the future. He couldn’t wait to see his son continue to grow, and he couldn’t wait to see what new heights his son will reach.  
  


** -𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢-  
**

After breakfast he went back to his chambers to rest a bit before the ceremony. Everyone in the kingdom would be there watching him, as well as all the dragons in the kingdom. He was a bit nervous and he didn’t want to mess up. That would be very embarrassing. He hoped his companion will be a nice dragon who he can become great friends with.

He sat on the windowsill and closed his eyes. He felt the magic within the land, within his people, and within the dragons. One day, he will oversee this kingdom and will be keeping the peace. He would be responsible for everyone’s lives, the land, the animals, everything.

To say he was anxious would be an understatement.

He took deep breaths and tried to meditate.

It was a way for him to ground himself. A way to get away from all the expectations, the watchful eyes, the pressure. One of his best friends, Yeonjun, taught him how to meditate. When they were younger and Beomgyu didn’t know how to handle the expectations and pressure of being a member of the Royal Family, Yeonjun helped him cope.

Sometimes it was hard to remember that he was only human. He had the tendency to work hard continuously without stopping, which was dangerous for his health. Yeonjun, along with his other best friends, Soobin, and Huening Kai, constantly had to watch out for him. He was worried that he might do this and hurt his dragon companion in the future.

He couldn’t get his father’s words out of his head. Was he really ready to take care of another living thing? He could barely take care of himself sometimes. It was his responsibility to care for his dragon and tend to his/her needs. Will he succeed?

Beomgyu shook his head and opened his eyes.

There was no use doubting himself now. He was too close to finally achieving his dreams and making his parents and the rest of the kingdom proud. He would prove to everyone that he was worthy of being their Crown Prince and he would prove to himself that he could do it.

A loud knock broke the silence and Beomgyu walked over to the door.

When he opened it, he was surprised to see Yeonjun wearing Ceremonial Armor. He’s used to the older being dressed in fine silks and looking very dignified. With the Ceremonial Armor on, he looks more intimidating and colder.

“I know you’re the head of my personal guard, but the Ceremonial Armor looks wrong on you,” Beomgyu commented once he finished studying his longtime friend.

“Well hello to you too, Gyu,” Yeonjun replied. “I was expecting a ‘nice to see you’ or ‘wow hyung you look so cool’, but I get this instead.”

He grasped his chest dramatically and gave Beomgyu a sad look.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes and ushered Yeonjun into his chambers.

“I’m just used to seeing you all dressed up in your nice clothes.”

He walked over to the windowsill again while Yeonjun sat down in one of the comfortable couches near the window.

“Ah, well I can’t lie. I do feel weird wearing this, but you know its protocol,” Yeonjun said while touching his armor absentmindedly. “And before I forget, happy birthday, Gyu.”

Beomgyu smiled. “Thanks, hyung.”

“I was sent up here to fetch you so you can prepare a bit before the ceremony. Soobin and Huening Kai are waiting at the venue already.”

“I’m ready.”

Beomgyu stood up and dusted off his clothes before heading out of the door with Yeonjun trailing behind him.

** -𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

After a few minutes of going over the ceremony with his father again, Beomgyu was released and could sit in the shade where Soobin and Huening Kai were sitting down. Yeonjun was off patrolling the area and checking in with the rest of his guards to make sure the perimeter is safe and secured. When he reached the two nobles Huening Kai pulled him in for a big hug while Soobin started dancing and singing.

“Happy birthday,” they chorused after Soobin sang happy birthday.

Beomgyu laughed and beamed at them.

“Thank you.”

The trio sat down and Huening Kai excitedly turned to Beomgyu.

“So, are you excited to meet your dragon companion?”

“I am very excited and nervous,” he answered.

He grabbed a drink from a palace worker and sipped. The ceremony is going to be held in the palace courtyard. Beomgyu admired the beautiful weather and felt happy that his birthday was on such a gorgeous day.

“That’s understandable. There’s more pressure on you now,” Soobin commented.

“Yeah,” the prince replied softly.

“If you need any help coping with the stress and pressure, we’re here,” Soobin assured him while patting his back.

“Ah, thanks, you guys are seriously the best.”

Huening Kai then started talking about the latest thing he was researching, and Soobin added in his two cents when he could. Beomgyu really liked it when he held conversations like this with his friends. He could listen to them tell stories about their favorite things and see their eyes light up in excitement. Especially when Soobin goes on about a new type of bread he tried at a bakery or tried making himself. Or when Yeonjun talked about the latest clothing item he had tailor made or the latest duel he won.

It was easy to lose track of the time when he talked with his friends, and suddenly, it was time for the ceremony.

When he tried to recount the memory later on, he found that he can’t really remember what happened exactly.

The whole ceremony was a blur and strange.

His father started it with an opening speech talking about Beomgyu’s growth and his hopes for the future. Then he had to give a speech about his plans for the future. Seeing all the dragons gathered there made him feel intimidated. They were all silently judging the boy who would come to be king one day.

He somehow managed to finish his speech without any mistakes and remembered seeing Soobin, Yeonjun, and Huening Kai giving him a thumbs up from the crowd.

Then the head of the Dragon Clan went up and said his speech about how honored he was to be serving the Crown and how happy he was that the bond between the dragons and the Royal Family is still strong. Beomgyu remembered becoming very anxious because after the dragon’s speech, it was time for him to meet his companion.

He was instructed to close his eyes and feel everyone’s energy. He would be drawn to a specific one, and that would be his partner.

It sounded very anticlimactic, but the whole experience felt mystical and weird in a good way.

It took a while to find it, but he found a very particular energy standing out in the crowd, and his body moved towards it on its own. It was very strong, and it drew him in like a moth to a flame.

Once he reached the middle of the crowd where the dragons were, he reached out and pat the dragon’s head. He opened his eyes and stared at a dragon with emerald scales and emerald eyes. His eyes widened in wonder at the gorgeous creature.

“Wow,” he breathed.

He moved to touch the dragon again, and when he did, their bodies emit a bright, white light for a few seconds shocking everyone. He felt a weird sensation spread throughout his body. It felt weird, his whole body felt tingly and funny. 

When the light faded, he remembered seeing a human replace the dragon, and some markings that formed on his body before he passed out.

** -𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

He woke up in cold sweat on the bed in his chambers and sighed in relief, it was just a dream.

When he moved to go back to sleep, he saw the same emerald eyes of the dragon through his window and got up from the bed.

“Ah!” he screamed.

The figure with the green eyes moved and jumped into the room causing Beomgyu to step back further into his room. Beomgyu felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. He tried to scan the room for something to use as a weapon to defend himself. Deep down inside though, he knew he was defenseless against a dragon. He could sense that this dragon was a powerful one as well. He closed his eyes and tightened his sweaty hands into fists, waiting for what was to come.

“Choi Beomgyu,” a sweet voice called out. Beomgyu opened his eyes and squinted at the silhouette standing in front of him. The voice sounded familiar to him for some reason, and it was alluring. He found himself wanting to listen to the voice again.

The clouds moved, revealing the moon, and the moonlight revealed the figure’s identity. It was the dragon who turned into a human from his dream. His eyes widened and he gasped lightly. 

“Y-yes,” he answered, despite being terrified.

“It seems that I have become your companion and that there’s something different about you,” the voice commented while moving closer to the prince. Something about the dragon’s tone made Beomgyu nervous. He could sense that the dragon wasn’t amused, and he briefly wondered what he did to anger the dragon.

“You’re a… dragon?”

“Yes, I am, but after the ceremony, my form was changed into a human one.”

“No one has ever heard of this happening before. Are you sure you’re a dragon?”

“My goodness, I was paired up with a stupid human who asks too many questions,” the voice complained.

Beomgyu bristled at the “stupid human” part, and suddenly he wasn’t afraid of the voice anymore.

“Who are you calling stupid?” he asked.

“Obviously, you, the entitled Crown Prince,” the voice mocked.

“Entitled?” Beomgyu scoffed. “Excuse me _dragon_ I am not entitled.”

“I have a name, it’s Taehyun, use it.”

Beomgyu moved closer to the source of the voice and saw Taehyun, thus confirming that his dream was no dream. He was surprised at his human form at first. It is just as ethereal as his dragon form, and he found himself stunned by the other’s beauty. His emerald eyes caught his attention, and he stared, unable to look away.

Taehyun glared and his green eyes pierced the prince.

“I can tell you’re wondering why I am so hostile. Well, _you_ did this to me, _you_ turned me into a human!”

“I didn’t purposely do it. I have all these weird markings all over my body because of you! We were both affected by this, you could be nicer about this whole situation,” Beomgyu argued.

Taehyun walked up to Beomgyu and grabbed his shirt and used it to pull him closer.

“I’m stuck with you for the rest of my life, and I’m stuck as a human. I won’t be nicer to you until you apologize and earn my respect,” he replied, barely able to keep his anger under control.

Beomgyu pushed Taehyun away from him and rolled his eyes.

“Seriously, I was hoping for a mature dragon, not for a childish one. Who sneaks into someone’s chambers and gets mad at them in the middle of the night over something out of their control?”

“I’m a mature dragon,” Taehyun insisted.

“Yeah, sure. Leave me alone for now, we can discuss our situation tomorrow. We can try to figure out how to change you back.”

Taehyun glared at Beomgyu one more time, he seemed reluctant to go, but the prince glared back and he backed off. 

“Fine, I’m holding you to it," Taehyun said before jumping out of Beomgyu’s window and leaving the prince in the silence of his dark room. 

“What an interesting turn of events,” he whispered tiredly before going back to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have a few things to address:
> 
> 1\. this chapter will most likely be rewritten later because i feel like it could be better  
> 2\. i have no updating schedule  
> 3\. i dont think i wrote the argument scene well.  
> 4\. they will warm up to each other eventually.  
> 5\. shoutout to [@mulletjun](https://twitter.com/muIIetjun?s=09) on twitter for giving me inspiration [check her out on [ao3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yvorejuns)]
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
> [main twt](https://twitter.com/ctrlbins?s=09)  
> [au archive twt](https://twitter.com/tdclix)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)


	2. answers...?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's not edited right now so sorry for mistakes :(
> 
> it's also kind of short but chapters will get longer as we progress through the story!

When Beomgyu woke up, he groaned and stretched his limbs. He wearily got up from his bed and headed to his bathroom. He stood in front of his mirror and yawned before grabbing his toothbrush and toothpaste. While he brushed his teeth, he spotted the markings on his body peeking out from his pajamas and suddenly he was reminded of the events that took place the day before. The prince sighed and hesitantly ran his fingers over the marks. He could feel the magic running through it and was once again assured that everything that happened wasn’t in his head.

After splashing some water on his face and finishing getting ready, he walked out of his bathroom to start attending to his duties.

The first thing he saw when he walked into the main room of his chambers was those intimidating, emerald eyes. His eyes widened in shock, and he tried rubbing them to make sure what he was seeing wasn’t fake. Beomgyu noticed that he had been doing this a lot recently. Everything that has been happening to him seemed so surreal. 

“Took you long enough!” Taehyun said from one of Beomgyu’s couches.

”We need to have a talk about how it isn’t okay to just barge into the Crown Prince’s chamber,” Beomgyu said, clearly ignoring the other while gathering his things for the day from his desk. “Why are you here?”

”You said you’d help me find a way to turn back into my other form.”

”Yes I did, and I intend to keep my word. I just wasn’t expecting you to be here so early.”

“I’d rather start right away so I can spend less time in this form. Let’s go!” Taehyun replied as he walked out of the room. Beomgyu reluctantly followed the dragon into the halls and tried to catch up to him. Beomgyu noticed that Taehyun looked a little lost and realized that he wouldn’t know where to start searching. 

“We’ll head to our library and archives first” Beomgyu began while pulling the dragon with him to another wing of the castle. “My friend Huening Kai is going to be helping us out today.”

The pair walked in silence and Beomgyu was allowed to get lost in thought. He found this whole situation crazy and he was clueless. He didn’t know what to do, what happened, and why it happened. None of his training or lessons prepared him for his situation and he felt a little useless. He was also mad at himself because he wasn’t really on good terms with his companion and he was really looking forward to befriending his dragon. His dragon sort of hated him and was hostile.  
  
After walking just a little bit longer, the pair reached the double, wooden doors that lead to the library and archives. They walked in silently and Beomgyu saw Huening Kai up on the second floor.   
  
”Hyuka,” Beomgyu called softly. Huening Kai turned and waved when he saw Beomgyu. He jumped off the balcony and swiftly landed on his feet which gained a questioning look from Taehyun because he was obviously utilizing magic to land carefully.

”I didn’t know humans could do something like that. We were taught they were fragile and could break at any moment, yet he did that,” Taehyun commented as Huening Kai approached them.

Beomgyu smirked. “Huening Kai is just amazing like that, plus his family are the only humans recorded in history who can actually wield magic.”

”Mhm, yes indeed we are,” Huening Kai added in once he reached them. “Dragons and other mythical beings are the only species known to use magic but my family is able to wield as well. There’s some speculation that we are descendants of a mythical being, but we are not sure.”

”That’s... interesting.”

”What brings you here today, hyung?” Huening Kai questioned after turning his attention to his friend.

”We’re here to figure out what the hell happened yesterday and how to change it.”

Huening Kai hummed and placed his book down on a table nearby. He started muttering to himself and dashing around the library grabbing books and flipping through them quickly. Taehyun was amused to watch him run around the library with many books in his hands.   
  
“This human seems helpful.”

”Of course he is, Huening Kai is a prodigy. He’s very smart and talented.”

”I can tell that he has a bright future ahead of him.”

The noble came back with three books in hand with a huge smile on his face. He ushered them to the table where he put his book down over and sat across from them.

”Okay, so I couldn’t find much, but I’m sure these books will lead us to your answers eventually.” Huening Kai said while grabbing one of the books that read _The Cosmos_. “This book here talks about what the markings may mean and the reasons why there was light coming from your bodies before the transformation happened.   
  
He grabbed another book, _Sigils._ “I wasn’t sure whether or not this would help but it’s a book with all known markings, symbols, everything.” 

The trio’s eyes fell to the last book on the table, _Beomseok’s_.

Huening Kai grabbed it and smiled. “Now this, this is the diary of the first ever human to bond with the dragons, Choi Beomseok, Beomgyu-hyung’s ancestor. I’m sure there must be something in here that is useful.”

“Hyuka, this is great!” Beomgyu exclaimed while grabbing the first book. The noble blushed at the praise and he grabbed the book on sigils while Taehyun grabbed the diary.

**-** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐** **𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑** **𝚝𝚑𝚎** **𝚜𝚔𝚢** **-**

They spent hours in the library, Beomgyu had someone bring them something to eat while they researched. Whenever they had questions, Huening Kai was able to answer them for the most part. Some of their questions were answered like the meaning of the markings. It turned out that Beomgyu’s ancestor had similar markings on his body after he paired up with his dragon. Beomseok documented that there were some things that the markings allowed him and his dragon to do. 

One thing was that him and his dragon could communicate through telepathy. Beomgyu was excited for that and Taehyun’s eyes were filled with amazement.

Another thing was that they can feel where each other was at or at least locate where each other was. Both of them weren’t very enthusiastic about that.

The markings also allowed Beomgyu to have access to the dragon’s magic so he can draw from Taehyun’s magic power. The prince’s eyes sparkled with excitement and he mentally made a note to try it out.

Of course, this was all based on the assumption that they could pull these things off with the power of these markings all over Beomgyu’s body. They would have to try these out later.

”Beomseok wrote here something about trial runs and tests, but I can’t read all of it because the pages are missing,” Huening Kai muttered as he flipped and read through the diary. “It’s quite strange how these pages are missing. Ugh, I just know that we’re missing crucial information and that makes me mad!”

”Well we either look for those missing pages or we find more answers to our questions ourselves,” Beomgyu said while reading through their notes they have taken down so far.

Taehyun shifted in his seat, his face looking tense. “We’re so close to figuring out everything but we’re still far at the same time. Some questions have been answered but they just lead to more questions!”

The prince could sense that everyone was getting annoyed and irritated. Sitting down for hours reading books and deciphering words had taken its toll on them. Even Huening Kai who loved the library and books looked like he would throw up if he had to continue reading. 

“Why don’t we stop here for now,” Beomgyu suggested after a moment of silence. “We’re all exhausted and worn out. Why don’t we all go enjoy some time together in a nicer, less stressful, setting.”

Taehyun and Huening Kai agreed and they quickly cleaned up the table in the library. The trio walked outside and Beomgyu directed them to where the palace garden was. He had a feeling the garden would be a great place for them to relax. He was really thankful and was happy that Huening Kai decided to help him out. This whole situation was confusing, and it didn’t make sense to him.

It was frustrating to see your answers lead to more questions.

The trio sat by a small pond with ducks inside, and they enjoyed the silence and each other’s company. Beomgyu was happy to breathe fresh air and connect with nature. It was calming and it helped to clear his head. He tried to organize his thoughts and go over the information they received from the books. If what was written down on the diary was the same thing Beomgyu and Taehyun were going through, then it explained a whole lot. Still, it didn’t mention Beomseok’s dragon companion transforming into a human. 

Beside him, Taehyun decided to close his eyes and lay on the grass.

Beomgyu’s thoughts moved on to the one next to him. He never really expressed how happy he was to finally meet Taehyun. He and Taehyun have been fighting ever since their first interaction. His original plan was to express his gratitude and joy to whoever his partner was when they first met, but that didn’t go according to plan.

Beomgyu found himself not really caring too much about first impressions.

Deep down inside he knew that he and Taehyun would work well together. He could feel it through their connection. They may not be on each other’s good side right now, but he just knows that they can and will get along later.

He kind of regretted how he acted in response to Taehyun’s actions.

They both were affected by whatever happened during the ceremony. Taehyun’s situation was worse too. Beomgyu can’t imagine how he felt about being human now. It must be strange and scary for him. One day he’s a dragon and the next he had a human form and couldn’t turn back into a dragon.

He could tell that Taehyun was still able to use his magic though. He could sense the magic within him, and looking at his eyes, Beomgyu knew he still had some features of a dragon. If Taehyun actually turned into a human, then Beomgyu wouldn’t know what to do. He was also glad that the both of them weren’t hurt or injured.

Their situation wasn’t so great, but it wasn’t completely horrible either.

A duck waddled over to Taehyun and plopped itself on his chest. The dragon opened his eyes and smiled fondly when he saw the duck. He sat up and scooped up the duck with his hands. He cooed and pat the duck lightly before he set it down and let it wander back to the pond.

Beomgyu found that little interaction quite cute.

“Awe, I want to touch a duck too,” Huening Kai said while staring at the ducks. He pouted and got up to move closer to the pond.

Beomgyu chuckled and nudged Taehyun with his foot.

“Yes?”

“I just want to apologize for how I acted yesterday and earlier today. I shouldn’t have been so rude,” he apologized.

Taehyun stared at him looking a little shocked but he tried to compose himself.

“Apology accepted, and I’m sorry too,” he said while looking away from Beomgyu.

“Though, I still don’t trust you,” he added in quickly.

“I will earn your trust one day,” Beomgyu replied. They made eye contact, and Beomgyu could see those emerald eyes analyzing everything about him. He felt like Taehyun could see everything about him, his thoughts, his secrets, and fears. It was unnerving and made him feel small, but he knew that he could probably see how sincere Beomgyu was.

“I’ll wait for that day then,” Taehyun said while turned his attention to Huening Kai and the ducks playing together. Beomgyu smiled and watched silently too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to those who left kudos and ty for reading. ily all :)
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
> [main twt](https://twitter.com/ctrlbins?s=09)  
> [au archive twt](https://twitter.com/tdclix)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)


	3. an opened door

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. happy valentines day everyone <3
> 
> 2\. we finally get to see Taehyun's thoughts (idk if i wrote it well though)
> 
> 3\. i didnt edit it so there is going to be mistakes :(

A few days passed before Beomgyu and Taehyun were able to test if they could do the mentioned in Beomseok’s diary. The pair were currently at a training ground located somewhere in the palace grounds along with Yeonjun, Huening Kai, and Soobin to test it out.

Beomgyu wanted the rest of his friends to officially meet Taehyun, and he wanted them there to help observe. Taehyun had gone to some of the older dragons to find the answers they seek, but none of the dragons could really give them much answers.

One dragon told Taehyun that it was most likely possible, they just didn’t know why.

“What does your father have to say about this, Gyu?” Soobin asked from the sidelines of the training grounds. Beside him was Huening Kai who was reading through Beomseok’s diary again trying to see if they overlooked something.

Yeonjun who was standing guard not too far from where Soobin and Huening Kai were decided to answer for Beomgyu, who was busy meditating with Taehyun in the center.

“He usually leaves Gyu to handle his own problems. He believes his son can handle these things, and this situation is no different.”

“Oh, I see.”

Beomgyu cleared his thoughts and breathed while Taehyung did the same across from him. The diary said that it wasn’t hard to communicate via telepathy, they just had to be willing to share their thoughts with the other person. Once he was relaxed, Beomgyu started thinking about random things.

_The sky is so blue today._

_Yeonjun-hyung looks weird when he’s serious._

_Mm, I want pie right now._

“I heard you in my head,” Taehyun whispered once he opened his eyes.

_Really?_

“Yes, really.”

Beomgyu stared at Taehyun, this was so cool. It was weird to have someone else hear what you think, but the fact that it’s possible is amazing.

“The things that go through your head are weird.”

Beomgyu laughed. “Hyuka, we can communicate through telepathy, write that down!”

Huening Kai sent them a thumbs up before going back to reading the journal. His head was resting on Soobin’s shoulder, and Beomgyu thought he looked so small.

“I can still hear your thoughts,” Taehyun reminded him. “Stop thinking about how small Huening Kai is and let’s move onto the next thing.”

Beomgyu stuck his tongue out to annoy Taehyun. The dragon ignored his childish antics and rolled his eyes. Beomgyu scoffed at the other’s attitude. They just started and he was already sassing the prince.

“So demanding.”

Taehyun didn’t comment and they both stood up to prepare for the next test. This time they were testing if they could sense each other’s presence. Beomgyu had Taehyun go to a room in the palace far away from the training grounds. Now that they found out they could talk through telepathy, it made doing things easier.

Beomgyu asked Taehyun if he was ready through their link. Once Taehyun confirmed, Beomgyu closed his eyes and tried to feel the dragon’s presence. It was fairly easy since he usually does this to calm himself down, but sensing the dragon was very easy.

Taehyung’s presence, magic, and aura were like a beacon, easily showing where he is to the prince. He asked Taehyun if he experienced something similar once he opened his eyes.

_I did. It was like you were screaming your location to me. I could clearly see you, even if I’m not physically there with you._

Taehyun quickly came back, and they told Huening Kai to write this down as well. Yeonjun and Soobin were amazed while Huening Kai was already thinking of a million different theories on how this was possible.

The last test was something Beomgyu really anticipated. So far everything has been going well, and he’s excited to try and see if he was able to wield dragon magic as well now.

Huening Kai read out to them that Beomseok’s detailed explanation on how it works. First, he and Taehyun would have to clear their minds and connect their souls together. Huening Kai told them that he suspected that both of their souls were already connected and told them not to stress out over it. The second step was for Taehyun to visualize pouring his magic power into Beomgyu like he would pour a water into a glass. The third step was for Beomgyu to try and use the magic.

They did what was told, and it turned out that Huening Kai was right about their souls being connected. It freaked out Beomgyu a little bit, but a reminder from Soobin that it means that it’ll be easier for them to do all these things made him feel better.

After Taehyun was done visualizing, Beomgyu felt a weird sensation run through his body. His eyes widened once he felt the magic power running through his veins.

He told his friends what was happening, and Taehyun quickly instructed him to hold out his hand with his palm facing up. He did so, and Taehyun told him to imagine a fire appearing from his hands and getting stronger.

Beomgyu closed his eyes and imagined a fire, and when he opened his eyes, he saw a flickering, green flame on the palm of his hand. He briefly noticed the marks on his body had turned green and stored that information away for later. He stared at the flame in wonder while Soobin and Huening Kai quickly rushed over to see what was happening. Beomgyu tried manipulating the flame, he turned it into different shapes and reduced its power while also increasing it.

Suddenly, he got an idea, and threw the flame like he would a ball. it flew through the air like a ball and hit a practice dummy causing it to burst into green flames. Yeonjun looked at Beomgyu impressed from his station and clapped happily.

“Gyu, that was amazing,” the head guard told the prince. Soobin and Huening Kai nodded, still very dumbfounded and confused.

The prince got another idea and tried imagining the fire coming out of his palms like he was shooting it from his hands. Once again, the flames did what he was imagining in his head, and Beomgyu couldn’t believe it.

“This is so cool,” he exclaimed.

“Yes, it is,” Huening Kai replied. “You guys also could do what Beomseok and his dragon did. This is amazing and very interesting. I want to know why only two pairs of partners were able to do it.”

Yeonjun then walked over and joined their conversation. He was getting a bit restless just standing by the entrance of the training grounds

“Well, we don’t have the answers to that yet, but at least we know their capabilities,” Yeonjun said. He crossed his arms and looked deep in thought. “I wonder what your limit is…”

“I have a theory,” Soobin said after a moment of silence. “Since Gyu can benefit from this weird bond, what if that’s also the case for Taehyun. Maybe that’s why he’s in human form.”

Everyone thought about it for a moment and realized that Soobin’s theory made sense. Taehyun hated to admit, but it was a reasonable theory. He only turned into this form once he and Beomgyu met on the day of the ceremony.

“I hardly see how this is a benefit though,” muttered Taehyun while he sat down on a bench nearby.

“Must you be so grumpy all the time.”

“Be quiet, Human.”

Beomgyu ignored the dragon and dusted off his clothes. He reviewed the notes from Huening Kai’s observation, and once he was satisfied he turned to all his friends and smiled.

“We’re done for today. We should all go eat together and rest afterwards.”

Everyone agreed, and they all made their way into the palace to search for some food and a comfortable place to rest.

**-** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐** **𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑** **𝚝𝚑𝚎** **𝚜𝚔𝚢** **-**

Taehyun retreated to his resting place after he ate with his partner and his friends. He usually rested on a tree near his partner’s room. He wasn’t used to sleeping in a bed, and he really didn’t feel like being in the presence of other dragons in this form.

He can’t believe he was now in the form of a weak being. He was also mad at his loss of wings. Flying was much better than having to walk around all day on his puny human legs.

He was irritated and annoyed with this whole situation. He just wanted to be back in his dragon form already and live in peace.

He would be lying if he said he didn’t secretly enjoy his time he has spent as a human though. Pushing aside the fact that he was _weak_ and _human_ , when he spent time with his partner and his friends, he had an okay time. He’d never tell Beomgyu though, the prince might think that Taehyun actually _likes_ him.

How absurd.

He found this particular group of humans to be quite entertaining. Before their little testing session today, Huening Kai had been scaring Soobin all day, and Taehyun found it funny whenever Soobin screamed in fright.

He also really enjoyed Huening Kai’s presence.

The boy was smart and tolerable. He also had a very strong aura that attracted Taehyun. He was mischievous while also being mature and funny. Taehyun entertained the idea of being that human term— best friends he thinks— with the noble. He seemed to be the most compatible with him (besides his partner of course).

Yeonjun was a mystery to Taehyun. The dragon couldn’t really read Yeonjun’s expressions or thoughts and he was always guarded around him. He assumes that this human doesn’t really like him, but then again he can’t tell what the man was thinking. It put him on edge, but he tried to brush it off. Yeonjun also had a very strong aura like Huening Kai.

Soobin was funny and cute to Taehyun. He reminded Taehyun of all the little dragons back home. He’s clumsy, endearing, and very kind. He wanted to protect the tall man, even if he was older than Taehyun in human years. His aura was soft and welcoming, and it made him warm. Taehyun believes that he would most likely go to Soobin for comfort if he needed.

His partner, Beomgyu, was a touchy subject. The only thing he has against him is the fact that he’s the reason why he’s in a human body, but he realized that it wasn’t really his fault. It was more pride than anything else that held him back from properly getting along with him. He admits that he’s childish, but he’s also still kind of mad. He thinks that Beomgyu is worthy of being his partner, and he admires his strength and drive. Beomgyu may have earned a few good points in Taehyun’s book from today.

The prince showed him that he was strong and a fierce leader, which Taehyun wanted in a partner. He’d never say this out loud, but he believes that Beomgyu would make a fine king one day, and he was looking forward to being by his side to see it.

Taehyun sighed and rubbed his eyes with his hands. He wondered when he started thinking like this about these humans. He never expected to like their presence, let alone praise them. Something was seriously wrong with him if he was really complimenting the prince.

He hoped that they could figure out what was wrong with him and fix him. If Soobin’s theory is correct, then maybe he and Beomgyu would have to do something to turn him back. A ritual? A spell? Taehyun groaned, there were so many possibilities. His eyes widened once he realized that they might have to sacrifice something as well.

Internally he cried.

At this point, he wasn’t sure how he would survive, and he prays he can gain the strength to endure it longer. He may be having an okay experience so far, but he likes being a dragon.

He closed his eyes and tried to sleep and dreamt of the day he'd be back to a dragon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope u guys enjoyed, and once again happy valentines day. 
> 
> thank u for reading/leaving kudos. ily all <33
> 
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	4. journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always it isnt edited. enjoy tho :)

Three days after Beomgyu and Taehyun discovered their new powers, Beomgyu was summoned by his father. The attendant who came to pick him up told him it was urgent, and he quickly dropped everything and made his way to the throne room. When he got there, he saw Taehyun standing in front of his father, and he immediately became confused.

They were both discussing something that Beomgyu couldn’t make out, but when the guards guarding the door announced his arrival, they stopped talking and turned their attention towards him.

“Beomgyu,” the king said once Beomgyu was standing in front of him.

“Father,” Beomgyu replied while bowing. “What’s wrong? Why did you summon me?” He was wondering if his father was okay. He imagined all the things that could be wrong. Was his father sick? Was something happening to him that Beomgyu didn’t know about?

“I have received concerning news from our guard posts in cities far from the capital. There has been an increasing amount of protests happening, and they’re getting brave. I’m afraid that the rebellion is getting stronger.”

Beomgyu could feel the tension leave his shoulders at his father’s words. Still, he did not expect this to be the problem. It wasn’t unknown to the Royal family that people were unhappy with the way they run things. Call Beomgyu biased, but he thought they were fair rulers who always had their subjects needs in mind. At least his father isn’t a tyrant like the neighboring kingdom, Arcadia.

“I have informed Yeonjun of this already, and he is working on strengthening your protection. Of course, your noble dragon Taehyun has agreed to keep an eye on you as well.”

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun with a confused look. The dragon didn’t say anything and continued to stare at his father. Beomgyu found it weird that he couldn’t read the other’s expressions.

“Have they tried demanding anything from you? Has there been any violence? You mentioned that they were getting brave.”

The king sighed and rubbed his eyes. Beomgyu thought that he looked very tired, and he frowned. This was clearly taking a toll on him.

“No, not yet, but we can assume that they will start. I’ve ordered our guards to be alert at all times and if anything happens, to not hurt the civilians.”

Beomgyu nodded in understanding.

“It seems that you have everything under control, Father. I assume that you’re telling me this because I now have certain responsibilities as Crown Prince. Rest, Father, I can assure you that I will look into matters myself and try to resolve this conflict. If you permit it, I will go to the cities at the outskirts of the kingdom and do some investigating.”

The king nodded and smiled.

“My son, you have grown up to be a fine man. I will allow you to, but you must take Yeonjun, his squad, and Taehyun here with you.”

Beomgyu grinned. “Thank you, Father. I was planning on taking them already. Do you mind if bring along Huening Kai and Soobin?”

“That’s fine.”

“Very well, we will leave first thing tomorrow. If you will excuse me, I will now prepare for my journey.”

The prince bowed and left the throne room. Taehyun trailed behind him silently, and they both made their way to his chambers. Yeonjun was waiting outside his door with Soobin and Huening Kai.

“What did His Majesty need?” Huening Kai questioned after all five of them entered the chambers. He sat down on the couch while the rest found a place to lounge.

“He was telling me about what’s been happening recently,” Beomgyu answered, and from there he continued to recount his conversation with his father. He frowned when remembering what some of the reports said. It was a bit suspicious considering what happened recently.

The ceremony that was held on his birthday.

He didn’t know if there was any correlation, but the timing set off some warning bells in his head.

Once he finished telling his friends about the conversation, they looked concerned.

“I’m glad your father allowed us to tag along,” Soobin began. He was sitting on the windowsill with Beomgyu next to him. “It seems interesting to me, and I’m always up for an adventure with my favorite people.”

“I agree,” added Yeonjun.

“All we need to do now is prepare,” Beomgyu said, and with that, the five of them went of to prepare for their next adventure.

** -** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚎  ** ** 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

Taehyun left the room through the window and ignored Beomgyu’s questioning stare. He could briefly hear the other’s thoughts and knew that he was concerned for him. The human was wondering why he was so quiet.

Taehyun wanted to scoff but didn’t. He was surprised the other noticed the change. He was sure that no one would notice his change in demeanor.

He was feeling a bit off and disturbed.

The conversation he had with the king before Beomgyu arrived bugged him. The king had looked for him himself and found him in his favorite tree. He smiled once he saw the king, but it quickly turned into a frown. The king looked so troubled, and Taehyun figured that it wasn’t a good sign.

Wordlessly, the king turned and walked away, the dragon figured that he wanted to follow him. He hopped off his tree and followed the king into the throne room. He waited for the king to sit before he bowed and asked the king what was troubling him.

The king had showed him the threats made by an unknown person.

Taehyun felt something stir within him and grew angry.

They were threatening to take Beomgyu’s life.

Thinking back on it again made Taehyun angry. How dare they try to threaten _his_ human. Humans could be so stupid over trivial things like power. They demanded that they handed over the dragons to them and if the king didn’t comply, they would end Beomgyu’s life.

As if they could. Just hearing the letter felt like a slap to his face. They think that they could take _his_ human and _his_ kind like they were something from the market. Dragons aren’t something to trade. They aren’t goods!

Taehyun really wasn’t impressed with these humans.

The king had also asked him to protect Beomgyu with his life. Taehyun had frozen up. It was a big deal and the dragon couldn’t believe that the king was asking him to protect his only son, the Crown Prince, at all.

He wasn’t confident enough to protect the life of someone so important, but he couldn’t refuse the king. He had accepted and that’s when Beomgyu walked in.

Taehyun was walking to where the other dragons in the kingdom stayed. He had to inform the Clan Leader of these recent developments. He really didn’t think he could protect his human’s life, but he would try. He was mediocre at best, no one special. Someone who had more experience and training should be tasked with this.

Taehyun frowned and walked to where his Clan Leader spent most of his time at. He would need to ask for some guidance and advice.

** - ** ** 𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚎  ** ** 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

Beomgyu waited at the gates of the palace. Yeonjun and soldiers he handpicked himself for the journey were waiting closer to the gate with horses. He had chosen only three people from Beomgyu’s guard to accompany them. They had to try and not draw too much attention to themselves. Soobin was resting under a shaded tree, while Huening Kai was reading up on something near Soobin.

They were just waiting on Taehyun to arrive. His father had once again summoned him to talk and Beomgyu was getting a bit worried.

The dragon was off, he wasn’t talking much and wasn’t arguing with him at all.

It wasn’t like him to be so quiet.

After a few more minutes of waiting, Taehyun arrived.

They all checked their things one last time before going off.

The trip would take at least a few days. The Kingdom of Dracon is not small, and there were many cities within it.

Yeonjun was on his horse beside Beomgyu to be ready for any attack, and he had the other three guards surround the prince and the nobles. Soobin was on Beomgyu’s right. Taehyun was riding ahead of them while Huening Kai rode behind Yeonjun and Beomgyu.

They all were silent, and Beomgyu felt uncomfortable and started to fidget.

He was itching to ask Taehyun what his father wanted, but he couldn’t find it in him to ask. The dragon didn’t seem like he wanted to talk to anyone and Beomgyu wanted to respect that. He really hoped the other was okay and that he would be back to his usual self soon.

Everything felt weird to him. The events that happened at the ceremony, the rebellion getting stronger, and Taehyun’s sudden silence. It was weird and he felt a bit down.

It seemed like everything was going wrong when he thought they’d be going great. He was looking forwards to so many things but in the end, it didn’t turn out great. He wasn’t one to dwell on the sad things and mope, but he couldn’t help it right now.

He still had to push on, for his people and the kingdom. The rebels weren’t hurting anyone right now, but who can really say if they would continue to do that. They could potentially start to get more aggressive and possibly hurt an innocent bystander. Beomgyu didn’t want that so he pushed down his feelings and focused on his mission.

They were going to collect information in the three different cities with increased activity in protesting. All three cities seemed to have the same goal. They wanted Beomgyu’s father out.

From what the guards at each post have said, their numbers have grown, and are continuing to grow.

They weren’t going to use brute force, their only purpose was to gather information and from there, the king will act. They were going to observe and Beomgyu also hoped for the opportunity to train away from the castle. This experience will be good for him, and he was excited to prove to his father that he was worthy to take the throne.

This also gave him the chance to talk to Taehyun where there weren’t any listening ears.

He loves the palace, he really does, all the workers are great and nice, but they liked to gossip.

He knows its inevitable because he has many eyes on him due to his status, but he wants to have his privacy. He could get to know Taehyun in a better environment. Beomgyu also wanted to know what the dragon was capable of.

He also wanted to use this time to relax. Being in the palace can get a little stressful. There’s so many expectations, rules, and duties. Sometimes it can get a little too much. He was happy he was able to go out on this journey and travel far from the capital and palace.

Going undercover was good too. Hopefully no one recognized him so he can just be Choi Beomgyu and not the Crown Prince of Dracon.

The only bad thing about this mission was that it endangered his closest friends. He probably shouldn’t have asked Soobin and Huening Kai to come along, but he wanted his friends with him. It reminded him of when they were younger and went on ‘missions’ together. They would explore the palace grounds and use their imagination. Now they’re older and they have their duties and responsibilities. They couldn’t be carefree anymore and had to be mindful of their actions.

Beomgyu sometimes wishes he could run away, but deep down inside him, he knew he didn’t have the heart to do it. He loved his parents and his kingdom too much to do it. Still, it wasn’t easy for him.

With the support of his family and friends though, he knows he could get through this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. I'm not creative with kingdom names,,, i know  
> 2\. yay! we get to see taehyun's thoughts once again, and the way he thinks and sees things has changed a bit ;)  
> 3\. i hope u enjoyed this chapter and i love you all! thank u for the kudos and thank you for reading!
> 
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	5. worries new and old

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for any mistakes!! enjoy <3

They arrived in Zenn on the morning of Friday. The journey was a long and boring one, but Beomgyu knew deep down inside him that starting today, he would be entertained. They had sent the guards part of their entourage to scope out the city before their Crown Prince and the Nobles arrived. Soobin thought it was a good idea to send them ahead so that they didn’t bring _too_ much attention to themselves.

Arriving in a usually quiet city with a medium sized entourage was not a good idea if they wanted to be inconspicuous.

Yeonjun ordered them to find an inn for them to stay in, scan the place and its surroundings before they arrived. He would also do a thorough scan when he arrived.

Beomgyu didn’t know if they could stay undercover, but he silently prayed to whatever gods were out there to keep him and his friends safe during this mission.

When they had neared the entrance to the city, they got off their horses and left them at the guard post in Zenn. Everyone at the guard post had to swear that they wouldn’t tell a soul that their Crown Prince was there.

They walked into the city quietly and successfully made it to the inn without drawing any attention to themselves.

Yeonjun quietly told Beomgyu, Huening Kai, and Taehyun to stay out while he checked out the inn and the area.

Beomgyu patiently waited while using this time to form a plan.

They needed to be careful with how they approached this mission. They couldn’t afford to mess up or else the rebels aren’t going to show themselves for a while. If they caught word that there were people from the palace investigating, they would cease any of their activities and go into hiding fearing that if they were caught, they would be arrested.

Once Yeonjun assured them that the place was safe, they went in and unpacked their things. In the message the guards sent to them with a messenger bird, they were informed that they would have to share rooms.

The lady who owned the inn told one of the guards that there’s been an influx of people visiting the city. Of course, Beomgyu noted that down as something to look into. While it wasn’t uncommon for some cities to get more visitors than usual, those cities were always cities with interesting things to do or see. Zenn was a boring, dull city with nothing to entertain travelers.

This weird occurrence was probably linked to the surge in rebel activities.

They decided who rooms with who by drawing names. It was an easy way to make decisions and it was fast. Huening Kai and Soobin had one room to themselves, Yeonjun and one of the guards were paired up, the other two remaining guards had one room, and Beomgyu pulled Taehyun’s name.

Beomgyu asked for everyone to gather in his room so that he could pass his orders

When they all gathered in the room, he cleared his throat and smiled.

“From the information we have received so far, we know that the sudden surge of visitors and rebel activity in the city might be connected,” he paused and scanned the people in the room. They all were listening attentively, and he was grateful for that. “We can’t act solely on this assumption, so today we rest, maybe explore, and tomorrow we will begin gathering information. My only order for tomorrow is don’t bring attention to yourselves. That is all I have to say on the matter. If you wish to discuss plans with me further, stay, and if not, you are dismissed.”

Everyone nodded and bowed before shuffling out of the room to entertain themselves. Once they all left, Beomgyu faced Taehyun who was sitting on his bed looking deep in thought.

Beomgyu’s eyebrows knit together in concern and he tried waving his hand in front of the dragon’s face to get his attention.

“Taehyun? Hey… are you okay?”

The dragon finally looked at him after another few seconds of prodding. Beomgyu’s breath hitched as he saw the intensity of Taehyun’s gaze. He forgot how piercing his partner’s emerald eyes could be.

When Beomgyu looker deeper into those eyes he saw worry and fright in them. He briefly wondered what caused the dragon distress but put that aside and took a deep breath.

“You know…” he awkwardly began, he moved to sit on his bed across the dragon and sighed, “I can tell you’re worried about something. Did something happen? You can talk to me if you need.” He rubbed his arm and averted his eyes from the dragon’s. He felt so stupid. Why was he suddenly so nervous? He was just trying to offer his support to his partner!

Taehyun snapped out of his weird mood and Beomgyu felt relief wash over him as he saw the dragon smirk.

“Wow, the Crown Prince cares for a lowly being like me? You look very concerned Your Majesty. I’m touched.”

Beomgyu ignored the other’s mocking tone and threw the pillow to the other’s face. Taehyun squawked, and Beomgyu could see a playful glint enter his eyes.

They began a petty pillow fight. Beomgyu knew that as the Crown Prince he shouldn’t be acting like a child, but in the privacy of their shared room, he felt like he could forget his burdens with the dragon. Something about him remembered that he was still young and human, and Beomgyu was secretly thankful for that.

“Do you want to spar?” Taehyun asked after they wrapped up their pillow fight.

Their pillows were thrown everywhere making it look like a storm went through their room.

Beomgyu laughed and his eyes twinkled in delight.

“Sure.”

After straightening up their room they left their room and notified Yeonjun that they would be sparing. He decided to tag along so he could watch them and protect Beomgyu.

The thought of not having the prince near him made him uneasy, especially outside the huge, and protected walls of the palace.

**-** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐** **𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑** **𝚝𝚑𝚎** **𝚜𝚔𝚢** **-**

They went into the forest bordering the city and found a small clearing. Yeonjun stayed on the sidelines and observed as they began to spar after warming up. Taehyun wasn’t used to fighting in his human form and Yeonjun noted that he was relying solely on his instincts to keep up with Beomgyu.

Yeonjun was mildly impressed.

Beomgyu is not a mediocre fighter and Taehyun was holding his ground against him. He smiled and reminded himself to ask the dragon to spar against him too.

Beomgyu aimed a kick at Taehyun’s head but the dragon swiftly ducked and went for the prince’s unguarded area. He managed to land a hit but Beomgyu quickly managed to land a solid hit on Taehyun as well. They both jumped back away from each other and both were out of breath.

Beomgyu wiped his sweat from his forehead with his arm and smiled. Taehyun was smirking and looked pleased to see the prince in a condition no better than his own. He was happy that they were evenly matched and felt a surge of pride run through him.

“You’re not bad,” Beomgyu commented after a heavy moment of silence.

Taehyun smiled, his fangs briefly appearing before he charged towards the prince. They once again engaged in a flurry of punches and kicks.

Their spar continued on with one gaining an advantage over the other in a constant struggle to best the other. Yeonjun admired their stamina, but he could see exhaustion lining the prince’s face. It seemed like the dragon had more stamina than Beomgyu did.

A well-aimed punch from Taehyun finally brought down the stubborn prince, and Yeonjun watched as they both collapsed to the ground. They were both messes and Yeonjun couldn’t hold back a chuckle at the sight.

“Well, that was fun to watch. Are you two okay?” Yeonjun asked once he walked up to the two figures sprawled on the floor. The both showed him a thumbs up.

“Yeah, just give us a second. That was intense,” Beomgyu replied.

“I really needed that,” Taehyun mumbled, Yeonjun and Beomgyu almost didn’t catch what he said. Beomgyu looked at his dragon companion and felt something weird in his chest stir. He didn’t know what he was feeling, but he knew he did not like it one bit.

After a few more minutes of resting, the trio made their way to the inn. Yeonjun excused himself to check up on Soobin and Huening Kai while Beomgyu made his way to a washroom to freshen up.

He enjoyed his spar with Taehyun even if he lost. It was a close one so Beomgyu didn’t mind losing.

When he finished up, he passed Taehyun on the way to their shared room. The other waited for his turn to use the washroom, and Beomgyu was glad he had the foresight to not take too long in there.

“Let’s train together during the trip,” the dragon muttered to him before he slipped away to get rid of the dirt and sweat on him.

Beomgyu stood there staring at the direction the dragon went in for a moment to process what Taehyun had said before he broke out into a wide smile. His weird and tense relationship was improving.

Maybe not by much, but Beomgyu took this small victory and celebrated.

**-** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐** **𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑** **𝚝𝚑𝚎** **𝚜𝚔𝚢** **-**

The next day, Beomgyu and Yeonjun were sitting in a restaurant not too far from the inn they were staying at. Everyone had been assigned areas to find information in. Many people knew that the best places to gossip were restuarants, tea houses, and bathhouses where people went to relax or hang out with others.

Beomgyu quietly sipped on his tea while his eyes looked around the room. There were a group of young men seated in the corner. They were a very rowdy group, and Beomgyu knew that one of them might slip and reveal some valuable information.

From their short time there they heard tales of a man who arrived in the the city about a month ago. The people in the restaurant sang praises about how he was so brave and truly a leader.

A few moments later they got a name and they got up and paid before leaving. They had enough information for now.

Beomgyu conversed with Taehyun through their link. It seemed like this man was the talk of the town. Taehyun went off by himself to the market to gather information and he too heard this man’s name. He promised to gather more intel before he cut off their link.

“My hunch tells me that this man is someone we should look into,” Beomgyu commented while they aimlessly walked throughout the town. “Taehyun just told me that he’s been mentioned a lot in the streets of the markets as well. Once again, they were praising the man and speaking of him like he is their savior.”

“We don’t know who he is or what he’s done, but I think your hunch is right, Gyu.”

“Hm, I’m sure if he did something noteworthy the guards stationed here would know, right? Why don’t we drop by the guard post unannounced and ask them if they know anything,” Beomgyu offered.

Yeonjun nodded. “Imagine how shocked they would be. They wouldn’t be suspecting our visit so it’s a good time to check how they’re doing or if anything is wrong.”

Yeonjun ended up being right. When they had arrived at the post, the guard who was in charge of guarding the door looked at them and spluttered. Beomgyu hid his amused smile with his sleeve of his shirt and internally laughed. Yeonjun’s expression remained black while the guard saluted him and their Crown Prince.

“Crown Prince and Captain Choi, I’ll go grab Captain Lee for you!” the guard squeaked before he bowed and ran off inside.

Yeonjun sighed. “He could’ve at least offered to bring us in.”

“Ah, let’s not be too hard on him. The poor thing looked so spooked to be in our presence. Your blank face didn’t help at all,” Beomgyu replied while Yeonjun looked at him clearly amused.

They only waited a few minutes before Captain Lee arrived with the shaking guard.

“Crown Prince, Captain Choi,” he said while saluting his superiors. Even if Yeonjun was a captain like him, being the captain of the prince’s guard was a higher position than his own. Everyone knows too that Choi Yeonjun would most likely become General once Beomgyu was crowned King.

“Hello Captain Lee, we have a few questions we’d like to ask you,” Beomgyu said once the captain straightened.

“Of course, why don’t you come in and we can discuss things away from the sun.”

Beomgyu and Yeonjun were brought to the lounge room and they sat down on one of the couches. Captain Lee asked if they wanted tea but they both politely declined.

“So, what do you know about Choi Hyunju?” Beomgyu asked.

Captain Lee’s eyes lit up in recognition.

“He’s someone the rebels look up to as a leader. He appeared at the first protest held here and took charge. We’ve been keeping tabs on him, but he’s a very hard man to track.”

Beomgyu turned to Yeonjun and they silently exchanged a few words.

“I had a feeling he was connected to them somehow, its weird how everyone in town is talking about him,” Beomgyu said.

“Forgive me for asking, Crown Prince, but are you sure it’s safe here for you? The rebels are doing a great job at getting more people on their side. I’m afraid you’ll be found out and put into danger,” Captain Lee muttered. Beomgyu really appreciated the concern and smiled.

“I’ve taken the necessary precautions to ensure Crown Prince’s safety,” Yeonjun reassured.

Captain Lee looked a little less worried and he warily smiled.

“Now then,” Beomgyu said while taking out a paper to write on. “Can you tell me _everything_ you know about this Choi Hyunju?”

Captain Lee shifted in his seat looking uncomfortable. "Not much is known, only his age, name, and that he's been very active during the protests. I've had my men document all the places he went and who he's talked to lately. I can give you the file. Another thing we know is that he left town the day before you arrived."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Taehyun softens just a tiny bit (he is still acting like a tsundere tho)  
> 2\. i really didnt intend for them to spar, they were initially supposed to train but my brain said "spar time"  
> 3\. new character introduced !!!  
> 4\. random fact but i named the city after a close friend of mine bcs i am not creative with names
> 
> thanks for reading/commenting/leaving kudos! i love you all!
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
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> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)


	6. chance encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as always, it's not edited :D enjoy !!

They stayed in Zenn for a few more days, training and searching for more information. Beomgyu and Yeonjun met up with Captain Lee a few times as well. Now they were preparing to head out to the second city they needed to visit.

All the information they got on the first day seemed to be all the information they could find in Zenn. It was a little concerning, and Beomgyu suspected it wasn’t that there was no information available and more so that the residents of the city were not letting anything slip. He’s spent a few parts of his day thinking over this and worrying.

He was currently in his shared room with Taehyun and was looking over his things one more time to ensure that he didn’t leave anything behind. Taehyun was sitting on his bed and packing his things quietly. Over the past few days, they’ve been training together and bonding, and Beomgyu thinks that the dragon might be warming up to him.

Still, Taehyun was a little more reserved, and Beomgyu guesses it’s because he’s in the presence of strangers (the guards accompanying them). He doesn’t know though and hopes that it’s nothing bad.

“Are you almost ready?” Beomgyu questioned, breaking the comfortable silence between them. He offered a small smile as Taehyun stopped what he was doing and looked up.

“Almost, I just want to make sure everything is prepared,” Taehyun answered before going back to packing.

“Well, I need to head out to check on the preparations before we depart. I’ll see you at the gate,” Beomgyu said while grabbed his things and walked out the door. He met Soobin in the hallways of the inn and he smiled.

“Oh, Gyu,” Soobin greeted with a smile. “Since we caught each other, let’s walk to the guard post together.”

Beomgyu nodded. “How is Huening Kai doing with his preparations?”

“He’s about done. Do we need to check out or did someone already take care of that?”

“When I had Yeonjun go ahead to the guard post, he offered to just check us out. I also heard that the guards at the post prepared us some breakfast for the trip,” Beomgyu replied. He waved at the innkeeper before they left the building.

It was a beautiful day and Beomgyu grinned as he took in the sunlight. It was refreshing. Soobin smiled while looking at the birds flying through the sky. Beomgyu was grateful for the nice weather, it would make traveling a little less stressful.

When they arrived at the guard post, they saw Yeonjun barking orders to the guards with Captain Lee beside him. Soobin and Beomgyu shared an amused look as they approached the pair.

“Yeonjun-hyung looks so scary but cool at the same time,” Soobin teased. Yeonjun turned a little red and playfully pushed him.

Beomgyu snickered and both boys sent him a half-hearted glare.

“How are things coming along?” Beomgyu asked.

“Everything is progressing smoothly, the other three guards should be departing soon actually,” Yeonjun replied. He brought Soobin and Beomgyu to the shaded area and gave their things to a guard to get it put away.

Beomgyu smiled gratefully at the guard before turning his attention back to his blue haired friend.

“So, what do you two think about this whole situation?” Beomgyu questioned once everyone settled down. He watched as Soobin gained a thoughtful look on his face and Yeonjun looked up to gaze at the sky.

“It’s concerning how the guards only know so much about this guy who is very popular within the city. It most likely means that majority of the villagers are loyal to this person,” Soobin said after a while. His brows were furrowed, and he was frowning. Yeonjun nodded from beside him and also frowned.

“Assuming Soobin is right, I’m afraid that they might try to take over this city with violence eventually. If they do that then the guards’ lives are in danger here,” Yeonjun added. Soobin’s eyes widened a little and he turned to Yeonjun with a panicked look on his face.

“You’re right and that could potentially spark a civil war or a coup.”

Beomgyu grimaced at the thought. If any of those events happens, many innocent lives would be lost and that was one thing he doesn’t want to happen.

“How many of your soldiers are even prepared for situations like that?” the trio heard a voice question. They all looked to their left to see Taehyun approaching them with Huening Kai next to him. Yeonjun waved over a guard to grab their things so they could join them in the shade.

Yeonjun winced. “Uhm, I doubt there are a lot. We’ve been in peace time for a while so I highly doubt most of the soldiers are ready mentally or physically for something like this.”

“And you?”

“I doubt I’m ready too,” Yeonjun confessed.

Taehyun turned to Beomgyu and slightly narrowed his eyes. “This is something we need to talk to your father about.”

“I don’t know if they’ll do something that big right now though,” Huening Kai commented. “They’d still have to deal with the dragons, who I’m sure wouldn’t let something like this slide. The only way they’d do something like this is if they have a way to subdue the dragons or convinced some to join their side.”

“If any of the dragons decide to go against Clan Leader, it is automatic death,” Taehyun growled. “No one better think of betraying the kingdom or else I’ll personally ask to deal with them myself.”

“Remind me to never betray you, Taehyun,” Soobin muttered, looking a little frightened.

“I think I might’ve gotten carried away there,” Taehyun said after being snapped out of that scary mood. “Sorry, it’s just dragons take loyalty very seriously and when Huening Kai mentioned that some might be willing to betray the kingdom, something snapped."

Soobin smiled and told him not to worry about it, and the five continued to chat until a guard approached them and told them it was time to depart for the next city.

They all mounted their horses by the gate, and Beomgyu made his way to Captain Lee who was standing near the front of the gate.

“Captain Lee, thank you for all you’ve done while we stayed here.”

Captain Lee bashfully rubbed the back of his neck and bowed.

“It was my pleasure, Crown Prince Beomgyu. I hope you all stay safe during your travels.”

Beomgyu smiled at the man before Yeonjun announced that they would be moving out and they set off to the next city.

** -𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

They arrived in the next city, Axelle. Thankfully, this trip wasn’t too long since the three cities they were visiting were close to each other. Just like before, the three guards who were sent ahead secured a place for them to stay.

Axelle was a quiet city known for its interest in the arts. Most parts of the city were covered in colorful paint done by one of the many talented people living there. It was one of the villages that many enjoyed going to when they wanted entertainment. Of course, there were other cities who prided itself for their talent in the arts. Cities who dedicate most of their facilities to the arts and build museums and theatres.

Axelle was a city that did art just for the fun of it. These other cities did it for a living.

Still, Beomgyu preferred visiting Axelle over those other places anyways. There were too many nasty people in those places. People who would use underhanded tricks to try and make a name for themselves in those cities in hopes of getting noticed by the King.

It was a little irritating to have people try to gain his favor whenever he accompanied his father to those places. Most times, he would ask to be excused from those events and go to Axelle instead.

Beomgyu winced when he realized their cover might be blown here. Unlike Zenn, he has been to Axelle a lot and the people know how his face looks. They might encounter some trouble here.

He wonders though what would cause the people here to join the Rebels. They never had any complaints before, and he found it disheartening that they would easily turn their backs on the kingdom.

Beomgyu’s group were currently in the guard post of Axelle. They did the same thing again and made the guards there sworn to secrecy. While their horses were being brought to the stables to stay there, Beomgyu had all his friends in the common room.

“We might have a problem,” Beomgyu confessed. Taeyhyun looked at him, confused, while the others frowned.

“Why?” Taehyun asked.

“We’ve all been here a lot, besides you,” Beomgyu answered, looking at Taehyun while he did. There was something about Taehyun’s emerald eyes that have been bothering him lately. He couldn’t place it, but something in them really bugs him and makes him feel weird. Beomgyu turned away his gaze from the dragon’s and stared at a tapestry on the wall instead.

He leaned on the arm of the sofa and sighed.

“The people here know how we look.”

“Dang, I didn’t think of that till you mentioned it,” Yeonjun muttered. Soobin nodded from beside him on the couch.

“Do you know some spell or something that can disguise us?” Soobin asked Taehyun who shook his head and frowned.

“Worst case scenario, us four will have to mostly stay indoors while Taehyun and the other three guards will have to do some information gathering on their own,” Beomgyu said before scowling at the idea. He knew he couldn’t allow that to happen. Sitting idly while others do work doesn’t sit well with him.

“Actually, I might have a solution to this,” Huening Kai, who has been quiet for most part, spoke up from his seat next to Taehyun. “My family has a spell that can alter our appearance. I just don’t know how long I can make it last because four people is a lot of people to cast a spell on and I only have so much magic.”

“I can help out with that,” Taehyun offered. “I can transfer some to you to help lessen the burden.”

“Great,” Soobin chirped happily, while Yeonjun looked at Huening Kai and Taehyun with something akin to stars in his eyes.

“You two just saved our asses,” Beomgyu said with a smile. “Thanks.”

“Your Majesty,” a soldier walked in and bowed to everyone present in the room. “The inn you’re going to be staying at has been checked and is ready for you and your party.”

Beomgyu grinned. “Thank you.” The soldier bowed and left the five alone once again. The prince straightened and clapped his hands together.

“Alright, Huening Kai and Taehyun, let’s get those magical disguises on.”

** -𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

After Huening Kai casted the spell, they made their way to the inn. Beomgyu felt a little weird walking around and felt self-conscious. While he trusted Huening Kai’s magic, he still felt like the people could see through his disguise. It was a little unnerving.

They managed to make their way to the inn without any incidents though, so Beomgyu was relieved.

It was decided beforehand that they would keep their roommates for the duration of the mission, so Beomgyu followed Taehyun to their shared room.

“Something about this place bugs me,” Taehyun said, breaking the silence between the two. It felt like an itch under his skin, he didn’t know what it was, but he knew that it was bad.

Beomgyu threw himself on his bed and looked towards the other who started unpacking his things.

“Yeah me too. It’s weird too because the vibe is just different from before,” Beomgyu replied while he looked up to stare at the ceiling. “I’m not used to this feeling at all.”

“Well, let’s bring it up at that mini meeting you called. C’mon Crown Prince Beomgyu, It wouldn’t look good if you’re late.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Beomgyu got up from his bed and followed Taehyun out to where the rest of their group was waiting. They were sitting in the corner of the inn, quietly talking amongst themselves. Beomgyu slid into a seat next to Yeonjun while Taehyun sat across him.

“I’m thinking that today is just an exploration day. We can go see the sights and fun things the city has to offer,” Beomgyu said, trying to get his order across with his vague words. For all he knows, someone could be listening in and that wouldn’t do him any good.

“Sounds good. I think I’ll go sightseeing with my favorite,” Soobin said while he wrapped his arm around Huening Kai’s shoulder and pulled him close.

“I’ll go with him,” Taehyun said while he pointed at Beomgyu.

“Then I can go exploring on my own,” Yeonjun added in with a cheerful smile.

“After our escapades we can talk about all the new sights we saw.” One of the workers brought over the food Yeonjun ordered before Beomgyu got there. His eyes sparkled and he look at Yeonjun with a grateful smile on his face when he realized his friend got him his favorite food. He heard a snort and looked to Taehyun who had a smug smile on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing, you just looked like a little kid who entered a candy shop.”

Beomgyu glared at Taehyun who stuck out his tongue. The prince rolled his eyes and started to eat his food while Taehyun laughed. He hid his fond smile behind a napkin he used to wipe his mouth.

They all ate quickly, not wanting to waste their time, and barely talked to each other. They all left the inn and went their separate ways. Beomgyu suggested that they go to the areas with random art scattered through the streets. People who were admiring the sights usually talked and gossiped, so he hoped they could get more information.

He looked at the colorful murals, the statues and sculptures, the colorful buildings and smiled. Axelle was a beautiful city, and possibly one of Beomgyu’s favorite cities in the kingdom.

“Did you hear?” Beomgyu and Taehyun overheard a lady ask another. They both turned their heads to a bench facing a mural painted on one of the large buildings in the area. The two ladies were eating something and sitting on the bench and enjoying the sunlight.

“Hear what?”

“Choi Hyunju is here in Axelle.”

“Really? Do you know where he is at right now?”

“I overheard someone say he is going to meet someone at one of the fancy restaurants here.”

Beomgyu and Taehyun shared a look before they walked away from this street to find Yeonjun, Soobin, and Huening Kai.

“I guess we’re going to be eating lunch at a fancy establishment.”

“I hope you’re paying, Crown Prince Beomgyu.”

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun and snickered. Taehyun shot him an annoyed look, but the prince could see that the dragon was amused. He was happy that Taehyun seemed to be enjoying himself right now. It was a relief to see him with something other than an blank expression on his face.

“Technically, you’re paying too. My money is essentially yours since you are my partner. You, Taehyun, are one of the richest men in the kingdom.”

Taehyun looked at him with an unimpressed face while Beomgyu pouted.

“I was waiting for a ‘thank you’ or something!”

“You forget that I am not a human, and I am a dragon. Your money doesn’t mean much to me, the only thing I care about is protecting myself, my family, and you,” Taehyun retorted, while Beomgyu grew a little red.

“You only care about protecting… me?”

Taehyun looked at Beomgyu and his eyes widened once he realized what he said. He covered his mouth and quickly looked away from the prince to hide his red cheeks.

“I mean… yeah, I guess.”

“I’m so touched,” Beomgyu said while gripping his chest and wiping a fake tear. Taehyun shoved him, and the prince lost his balance. He stumbled into someone and sent them falling to the ground.

“Shoot!” Taehyun shouted while running to check on Beomgyu. He froze in his place when he saw just who Beomgyu bumped into and fell on. It was Choi Hyunju, the man they were currently investigating. Taehyun and Hyunju locked eyes, and Taehyun felt shivers run through his body. Something about this man did not sit well with him, and his instincts were trying to tell him something.

“Ah, I’m so sorry,” Beomgyu apologized as he got up from the stranger. “This idiot here shoved me, and I fell. Did I hurt you?” Beomgyu dusted off his clothes and looked up to look at the man he fell on. He froze for a split second obviously recognizing the man, before he smoothed his face into a friendly smile.

“No you didn’t. Are you okay?” Hyunju asked. He placed a hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder and looked at him with a frown on his face. Taehyun’s eyes narrowed at the hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder and cleared his throat.

He bowed. “I am sorry sir for any inconvenience my friend and I have caused you. You’re probably busy so we shouldn’t bother you any longer,” Taehyun hastily apologized. He didn’t want to be near this man any longer than he had to. Hyunju looked at him with an unreadable expression on his face before he nodded.

“It’s alright, but I am afraid that I am quite busy. I hope to see you around here. Have a great day, gentlemen,” Hyunju replied before he left the pair went off to do his business.

They both watched him disappear from the streets and Beomgyu sighed and leaned against Taehyun’s shoulder once they couldn’t see him anymore.

“What a lucky encounter.”

“I can’t believe out of all people you could’ve crashed into; you crash into Choi Hyunju.”

Beomgyu poked Taehyun in his side before glaring at the dragon.

“There’s something about him that’s weird though,” Beomgyu muttered while they started heading towards the inn. Taehyun nodded and watched a flock of birds fly over their heads. He missed flying like that too.

“I feel like I’ve seen him before, but that’s crazy,” Beomgyu continued. He kicked a small pile of rocks on the street while he tried to make sense of the feeling he has. It was really weird, like something was poking him at the back of his mind and trying to tell him something. He groaned in frustration, not knowing what this feeling was really bugged him.

“He’s suspicious, I had the weird feeling too. I think it’s best we have someone else tail him and gather information. He knows how we look now.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. a lot of scenes were just randomly added in by my brain. I dont even know if i'm mad about that or what.  
> 2\. again my naming skills totally suck  
> 3\. taegyu moments yes  
> 4\. i should've said it earlier, but romance isn't the main focus of the story. it's kind of like a small side story (?) so i hope you won't hate me for taking long to develop their relationship. from what i have planned out i feel like i can sort of consider this "slow burn"
> 
> sorry for taking so long with this chapter! i hope you enjoyed. thank you for comments, kudos, and for reading, i appreciate and love you all!
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
> [main twt](https://twitter.com/ctrlbins?s=09)  
> [au archive twt](https://twitter.com/tdclix)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)


	7. time is running out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello sorry for taking so long. I'm sorry for my mistakes, but please enjoy <3
> 
> WARNING: violence and some mild language is present in the chapter. the violence isn't too detailed, but proceed with caution if even the slightest description of violence triggers you <3
> 
> also shout out to my ex-unofficial beta who is now my official beta, alex ([@hansapphic](https://twitter.com/hansapphic?s=09) on twitter) I would not be able to post these without her there to lessen my worries and point out my mistakes.

The duo rushed to the inn to tell everyone in their party about their encounter with Choi Hyunju. Now that he knows how Beomgyu and Taehyun look, sneaking around and watching him would be too risky. 

Luckily, when they arrived at the inn, everyone was already there and waiting for them. They ushered everyone into their shared room to share the news. Taehyun went to lean on their window while Beomgyu stood beside him.

“Taehyun and I bumped into Choi Hyunju not too long ago,” Beomgyu began. Yeonjun raised a brow but didn’t question anything while the rest of them had shocked looks on their faces.

“I shoved Beomgyu and he fell on him, so he absolutely knows how the both of us look. We also heard he was having lunch with someone at a restaurant, and we were going to see if we could get a table nearby and listen in,” Taehyun continued. “Now that he knows how we look, we think it’s best if we stay here in the inn while you all go.”

Everyone nodded and Beomgyu was glad that they agreed with his plan.

“He should be there right now,” Beomgyu said while he threw a pouch of coins at Yeonjun. “All of you go, have fun, try not to draw too much attention to yourselves, and try to find out more information on this man. I’ll pay for everything so don’t worry.”

The guards saluted Beomgyu and bowed before they left the room to prepare, while Yeonjun, Huening Kai, and Soobin stayed behind.

“What will you two do? Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Yeonjun asked, looking concerned. He felt like he should’ve been with Beomgyu when he bumped into a potentially dangerous man. He could’ve gotten hurt, and while he’s seen Taehyun’s skills, it was his job to protect his Prince and friend.

“We’ll be fine,” Beomgyu reassured. “We’ll probably go out and snoop, but still lay low. I’ll even treat this grumpy dragon to lunch.” He smiled, ignoring the glare Taehyun sent his way.

Yeonjun laughed at them and looked at both of them one more time before telling them to have fun and leaving with Huening Kai and Soobin right behind them.

“What do you want to do now?” Beomgyu asked Taehyun once they were alone in their shared room. Taehyun shrugged while Beomgyu rolled his eyes at him.

“Well now that we’re practically useless during our stay here, we could go train again?” Taehyun suggested.

Beomgyu thought about it for a few seconds before agreeing.

“We could check the training grounds at the guard post. I’m sure they have private training grounds,” Taehyun said. “Let’s just eat lunch here at the inn.” He moved away from the window and towards the door, trusting that Beomgyu would follow him.

Beomgyu smiled, liking the plan. “I’m in. Get ready to get your ass kicked, Taehyun!” The dragon opened the door and the prince followed him out and made sure to lock their door.

Taehyun snorted but couldn’t stop the smile tugging at his lips. “Yeah, right.”

**-𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢-  
**

When Soobin entered the restaurant, he scanned the room while Yeonjun talked to the hostess and Huening Kai was talking with the three other guards. He spotted their ‘target’ sitting near the window and frowned. The man he was having lunch with seemed familiar, but he was sitting with his back faced towards him, so Soobin wasn’t so sure.

The restaurant was filled with chatter, the clink of utensils on plates or wine glasses hitting each other, and the sounds of feet against the carpet as waiters and waitresses moved around.

If Soobin were to brag about a skill of his, it’d be his observation skills. Growing up with his friends and status he had to be extra careful and observant of his surroundings. To protect himself or his friends, also to notice things like social cues for important events and other things in the court. It was a valuable skill he needed in a cutthroat world like his.

At first glance, it would seem like Hyunju was having a regular conversation over lunch with a friend, but Soobin knew something else was going on.

From Hyunju and the other’s body language, Soobin could tell they were having a little disagreement on something.

The other man was as stiff as a board and was slightly shaking while Soobin could see Hyunju’s jaw and fists clenched. He had to applaud the both of them for their spectacular performance though because it seemed like only a few patrons and a few staff seemed to notice what was happening. Soobin also noted that even if the staff knew, for the most part no one interrupted them and only really glanced at them for a few seconds before averting their eyes.

“Can we request a seat by the window? I just love the town of Axelle and I think the view would be absolutely lovely to gaze at while we dine,” Soobin asked the hostess after Yeonjun finished telling her how many are in their party. He smiled so his dimples showed and added more to his charms so they could get their way. He could feel Yeonjun’s gaze on him and knew he was trying not to laugh at him, but he knew they needed to be seated near Hyunju so they can eavesdrop, so he tried to ignore it.

The hostess blushed before she nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course, sir!”

She led them to a table near Hyunju and Soobin sent a smirk to Yeonjun who just stuck out his tongue and made a face back at him. 

Soobin made sure he was seated as close as possible to Hyunju's table with Huening Kai and Yeonjun sitting on his left and right. The three guards sat across from them and were scanning the area for potential threats.

"Uhm," a guard began. Soobin and everyone else turned their attention to him. He blushed a little at everyone’s stares but continued. "Is it really safe to leave Crown Prince Beomgyu by himself? I know Sir Taehyun is very capable of protecting the Crown Prince, but it feels wrong to just sit here while he could potentially be in danger."

"I get your pain, I want to be beside His Majesty right now too, but we have to put our faith in Taehyun and complete this mission Crown Prince gave us," Yeonjun replied. "Just try to relax a little to not draw attention to us. Crown Prince told us to enjoy ourselves too while we're here."

The guard nodded and picked up his menu. Soobin smiled at Yeonjun and went back to subtly observing Hyunju. From what he could hear there was a deal that was supposed to happen, but it fell through. 

"Mingyu, are you joking with me right now? What do you mean you weren't able to secure the funds?" Soobin overhead Hyunju ask. Hearing the name, the young noble finally realized why the man meeting with Hyunju seemed familiar.

"Hey," Soobin whispered to Huening Kai and Yeonjun. "Isn't he the banished successor of the Noble House of Lee?" Yeonjun snuck a look at their table and his eyes widened.

"Yeah he is. After the scandal happened and he was banished from the Capital, I heard he fled to the outskirts. If he's meeting with Hyunju then that kind of confirms that he's part of the Rebellion," Yeonjun said, he looked annoyed to see the Lee, and Soobin couldn't blame him.

"It seems he still is fraternizing with the Rebels," Huening Kai commented. "Hasn't he learned his lesson? Does he think going against the King is a smart move? It's not like he was living an unhappy life in the Lee estate."

Soobin nodded. "We do know that he wanted the power of the dragons, which is stupid because they only offer their powers to the Royal Family. We all also know he was extremely jealous of Beomgyu."

Yeonjun waved down a waiter. "Yeah, but to turn to the Rebellion for those reasons? How foolish. Dragons hold divine power from the Heavens and everyone knows that they will not give their powers to just anyone."

"It seems Hyunju can tell that he's just a spoiled brat though. It seems like he's not amused and wants to punch him," Soobin said. The waiter came over and Yeonjun snorted. They placed their order for their drinks and food and went back to listening to Hyunju. 

"From what I hear the deal has something to do with funds? I'm guessing they're planning on something and weren't able to get funding like they wanted to. I don't know why Mingyu is in charge of this particular task though."

Huening Kai hummed while the guards talked amongst themselves. The waiter came back with their drinks and Soobin thanked him before going back to thinking.

With how angry Hyunju was, Soobin would bet that these funds were very important which could mean something big was about to happen. Another scenario is that he's just was a bad mood right now and was overreacting, but Soobin had a feeling it's the first option. 

"The peace won't last long," Soobin said. Yeonjun gave a sad smile while Huening Kai sighed. He just hoped that he and his friends would get through it safely.

**-𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢-  
**

Beomgyu and Taehyun were under a tree in one of the guard post's private training grounds. They were currently taking a break and snacking on some crackers and just enjoying the peacefulness. Beomgyu found himself very curious about Taehyun and was hesitant to ask him questions about himself.

"You know, I can hear most of your thoughts, right?" Taehyun said. Beomgyu’s mouth opened a little in surprise and he turned a little red, embarrassed. 

"A-Ah, I forgot for a second," Beomgyu admitted while he sheepishly rubbed his arm. 

Taehyun snickered. "Of course you did. We both need to work on blocking each other out during times when we don't want the other invading our thoughts." Beomgyu nodded and wrapped his arms around his chest. Taehyun leaned against the tree and sighed. 

"You can ask me anything and I'll answer it if I feel comfortable enough to."

Beomgyu's eyes lit up. "Really? The same goes for me then!" Taehyun’s mouth quirked into a small smile. 

"How does it feel like to be a human?" 

Taehyun poked at the ground. "It's very weird… there's this constant _itch_ under my skin and I feel very restless. My instincts are still there and stuff, but it's like there's this cap on it? It's muffled, in a way, and that makes me very uncomfortable. Also, sometimes my body aches, and it's just not fun." 

"Oh, I'm sorry I sort of caused you to be this uncomfortable." 

Taehyun waved off his apology. "It's okay, this was something neither of us could control. What about you? I seriously doubt you weren't affected too."

"Well for me, I can feel a constant energy running through my body and the markings. I can really feel it though when my markings show up and when I'm close to you. It's not bad though, I just get a little restless like you sometimes." 

Beomgyu leaned back on his hands and stared up at the sky. He never thought that he’d ever get to really know his partner and was very grateful for the opportunity to do so.

“How can I make this up to you?” Beomgyu asked.

“You know… for sort of indirectly causing—” he paused and gestured at the two of them. “–this.”

Taehyun rolled his eyes, but he had a fond smile on his face.

“You don’t have to apologize for anything. Seems I was right to call you a stupid human when we first met, but maybe I should add dense to the list of insults as well,” Taehyun teased. He started laughing when Beomgyu’s jaw dropped as he let out a scandalized gasp.

“Rude!”

“I’m just teasing. But I’m one hundred percent serious when I say you don’t have to apologize for anything, so stop thinking about it too much,” Taehyun said firmly.

“Noted.”

Beomgyu continued asking Taehyun questions with the dragon asking a few of his own. He really enjoyed the conversation and learned a bunch of new things about Taehyun. The prince knew that the other really enjoyed their conversation as well, and he congratulated himself in his head. Even though the progress of building a relationship with Taehyun was slow, it was progress nonetheless and Beomgyu was extremely grateful.

Underneath Taehyun’s grumpy attitude, there was a caring and very funny person. The elder knew he was lucky enough to see it.

**-𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚢-  
**

By the time the group who went to the restaurant came back the sun was slowly going down and people were rushing trying to get home from work. Taehyun and Beomgyu were waiting in the common room on the first floor of the inn. Taehyun and Soobin’s eyes met and he got the message that Soobin found out something interesting. He was relieved that they were able to find something. Even if they were only waiting for an hour for the rest of their group to arrive, Taehyun started getting antsy after ten minutes of waiting. 

This place put him on edge, and he needed something to distract him from that unpleasant feeling.

Beomgyu dismissed the other three guards while the trio of nobles sat at their table to discuss what happened at the restaurant. He began their conversation by asking if they enjoyed their lunch or saw anything interesting. Taehyun didn’t know why he was wasting time by asking trivial questions like those, but he just let the human do whatever he wanted.

Huening Kai started talking about how much he enjoyed the food and that he would go back one day.

Yeonjun then added in that the service was great, and that Beomgyu and Taehyun should try out the food there as well.

Taehyun noted that Soobin for the most part stayed silent while the other two conversed with Beomgyu. He saw his friend look deep in thought and raised a questioning brow.

The dragon cleared his throat, which gained the attention of his companions.

“I know you’re genuinely interested in how your friends’ day went, Beomgyu, but I think there are more pressing matters at hand,” Taehyun said. Beomgyu smirked and clasped his hands together.

“You’re absolutely right, Taehyun. I was actually waiting for you to say something,” Beomgyu replied. The dragon smiled at the teasing tone in the prince’s voice and hid it behind his hand.

Yeonjun then began to recount their experience with Huening Kai adding in his own comments here and there. Taehyun’s brows furrowed more and more as they revealed what they had heard from the conversation between Hyunju and his lunch companion. Soobin then decided to add on as well, and Taehyun noticed Beomgyu frowned at the name the noble mentioned.

“Lee Mingyu?” Taehyun cut in. “Is he the Lee’s son who was banished?”

“I forgot that you weren’t really around the palace when that happened,” Beomgyu muttered. “You’re right though.”

“If I’m not mistaken the Lee’s family is known for dealing with trading for the kingdom with other neighboring kingdoms,” Taehyun began. Soobin perked up at this information and his eyes went wide.

Huening Kai softly gasped while Beomgyu and Yeonjun shared a look.

“Wait, could they be planning something involving other kingdoms?”

The implications of the youngest’s question weighed on their shoulders, and Taehyun quickly realized that this wasn’t something they could overlook. This coupled with the threats on Beomgyu’s life set off warning bells in his head.

It took some time for Beomgyu to really process this information, and once he did, Taehyun noticed that he turned very pale. He was rightfully terrified, but Taehyun felt the urge to reach out to him and reassure the prince that Taehyun would do everything to make sure that he and the kingdom he loved was protected by him.

He wanted to tell him that his pride as a dragon wouldn’t let his partner and the things he loved get hurt or destroyed. That the thought of their enemies succeeding made his blood boil.

Instead, he just grit his teeth and endured the heavy silence around him.

After a while, Taehyun took a deep breath and placed his hand on Beomgyu’s shoulder. At some point, he started trembling and Taehyun felt something tug at his chest. Beomgyu looked at him and smiled weakly.

“We don’t know for sure, but with something this serious, we can’t rule out that possibility,” Beomgyu spoke up.

“Do you think we can find any information from the Spymaster?” Yeonjun asked. Beomgyu shook his head and Soobin sighed.

“He only speaks to my father about things like this,” Beomgyu answered. Even if Beomgyu was Crown Prince, the Spymaster would only disclose information to the current ruler of the kingdom. “Since it’s sensitive information, they don’t want to let it spread too much. We all know how the members of the court live on gossip.”

“I think contacting your father would be best before we proceed to do anything else,” Taehyun mumbled. It seemed that would be the only way they’d get information. There was a lot hanging on the line and he believed the king would like to know how things were going on their end. The trio of nobles agreed for him, and they all waited for Beomgyu to finish thinking things over.

“I told him I’d take care of everything; he looks so tired and worn out. I thought the least I could do is take care of this for him, but I guess not,” Beomgyu muttered as he ran his hand over his face, obviously frustrated. The youngest frowned and placed a reassuring hand on the prince’s arm.

“You’re doing great so far, Beomgyu-hyung. This situation is bigger than we originally thought it was like. This whole thing could possibly lead to… war, so no one will blame you for asking for help from the palace,” Huening Kai reassured. He beamed at the prince, and Beomgyu couldn’t resist his infectious smile.

“He’s right,” Soobin added in.

“Okay, then it’s settled, I’ll send a messenger bird to the palace soon.”

Taehyun stayed silent as they continued their conversation to think about what the King might do. He would probably send orders for them and also send separate orders for him to execute. He also knew that the danger levels were extremely high, and he had to always be on guard. A glance at Yeonjun confirmed his suspicions that the Captain would be cautious these next few days, and Taehyun felt a little relieved that Beomgyu’s life would have extra protection.

He turned to the side of him when he felt someone gazing intensely at him. He cursed in his head once he locked eyes with Beomgyu and he could see the unspoken questions in his eyes. It seemed he forgot his own words from earlier. He really needed to work on putting up a mental barrier between them.

Taehyun watched as Beomgyu opened his mouth to ask a question and braced himself for the mini interrogation that he knew was about to happen.

Suddenly, one of the three guards from earlier approached their table which took Beomgyu’s attention off him. Taehyun thanked the man silently in his head, but a sharp look from the prince told him that he wasn’t off the hook yet.

“Ah, dang it,” Taehyun mumbled before he started to pay attention to what the guard was saying.

“… We’re actually low on supplies right now,” the guard began. “We thought we’d be fine for at least a few more days, but after looking through all our belongings we realized we’re running low on some things.” When none of them commented or spoke up, the guard stared to shift his weight and avoided their gazes nervously.

“That’s okay. Sometimes things don’t go as planned,” Beomgyu said. The guard visibly relaxed and he gave the prince a small, apologetic smile. “Don’t worry about it too much. I think we can handle it.”

He turned to address Taehyun and the nobles. “We can go out and buy what we need together, right?”

Everyone nodded, and Soobin reassured the guard that they would be fine with getting the supplies when the guard protested. He left with a bow once Beomgyu asked him to compile a list of what they needed, and the group of five got ready to head out.

Once they got the list, they made their way to the marketplace. There were a few people out, some watching the stars, some on their way to dinner, and some shopping. The group of five moved quickly, not wanting to waste time. Taehyun was standing to the side of one of the vendor’s stall and glanced up at the sky.

When he looked back down, he was alarmed to see Beomgyu not standing at the stall and looked around.

After a few more minutes of frantically looking around and informing Yeonjun, Taehyun heard Beomgyu shout through their link.

_Taehyun!_

Taehyun didn’t hesitate to feel for Beomgyu’s location and run over to the prince’s general area. The trio of nobles followed behind him, but he didn’t pay too much attention to them. His instincts were screaming at him to find Beomgyu and make sure he was okay.

When he arrived at the alleyway where Beomgyu was, he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart and glared at the men who were holding Beomgyu. He glared at the grimy hands around Beomgyu’s shoulders.

“Get your hands off him,” he snarled. He absentmindedly noticed the others stopping behind him, and he held up his hand when Yeonjun went to grab his sword.

“Oh, who’s this? Pretty boy’s friends came to play hero,” one man taunted. Taehyun assumed he was their leader and growled menacingly.

“I’ll give you three seconds to let go of him.”

The man just scoffed and grabbed a wrapped staff his comrade threw him. He shoved Beomgyu to someone and started to unwrap the staff. Taehyun’s hands moved to his sword at his waist, and he saw the other three slowly draw their swords in his peripheral vision.

The man’s staff was revealed to be a spear once he finished unwrapping it, and Taehyun smirked.

“How about, no?”

The man charged at them which caused the other lackeys to do so as well. Taehyun left the leader to Yeonjun and went straight for the man who was holding Beomgyu. When he got closer, he heard Beomgyu cursing the man and trying to loosen the grip on him.

“You bastard let go! I swear once I get free, I’m going to make you regret grabbing me!”

Taehyun swung his sword and successfully separated Beomgyu and the lackey. Beomgyu grabbed the sword they took from him earlier. He whirled around and engaged the man in a sword fight with Taehyun supporting him and defending other people from trying to take him out from behind.

It didn’t take long before they knocked out all the bandits in their area.

Right before they were going to assist the others, Beomgyu and Taehyun heard Huening Kai scream “Watch out, hyung!” and they froze.

The leader was clearly losing against Yeonjun, and while he did seem mad, he wasn’t showing signs of fear. Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Huening Kai felt the magic activate before it was released.

Yeonjun luckily was able to dodge lightning that came from the spear in time.

“What the fuck!?” he exclaimed. “You can use magic?”

The leader laughed. “No, these are magic weapons.”

Yeonjun exchanged blows with the man but was a bit more cautious and wary now that he knew what he was capable of.

“The only people I know who have magic weapons are the Noble House of Huening,” Yeonjun said, as he narrowly dodged more lightning. He got grazed by it a little, and he hissed in pain.

“We got ours as a gift from someone.” The leader’s smug smile pissed Yeonjun off and he readied himself for another attack.

They continued to fight, but it was obvious that the leader had an advantage. Huening Kai stepped in once Yeonjun got hit by the lightning. He left the rest of the bandits to Soobin and stepped in between his friend and his opponent.

“I’ll take care of him, hyung. He’s too dangerous and we can’t have you knocked out or worse. Beomgyu-hyung needs you,” Huening Kai said as he readied to finish their fight.

“You’re really going to use that? Are you sure that’s the right decision—”

The youngest cut him off as he raised his arms and closed his eyes.

Huening Kai used a large-scale spell that knocked out the bandits. It drained him a lot, and he was panting and barely able to stand after. He smiled weakly at Soobin who went to assist him before he fell.

“I’m sorry,” he apologized before he passed out, with Soobin holding him upright. Everyone felt the familiar magic wrapped around them slowly disappear, as their true appearance showed, and their disguises faded.

“Fuck, we’re completely exposed,” Yeonjun muttered after they all took a moment to catch their breaths. “We also caused too much ruckus; people will be here soon.”

“We gotta go,” Beomgyu urged as he heard some people approaching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. soobin pov :D  
> 2\. omg is that a hint of taegyu fluff  
> 3\. while i was writing the fight scene at the end i was listening to [booster](https://youtu.be/JOPZueraeB4),  
> [double knot eng ver](https://youtu.be/ra0FlN5NBG4), [maze of memories](https://youtu.be/NEBOyla6f0M), and [boxer](https://youtu.be/uLGF1RKUHSk) (all by stray kids if you didn't know) check them out because they're amazing songs!!  
> 4\. i still cannot write fight scenes, im sorry :D
> 
> ty for reading/leaving kudos, i really appreciate it. I made a curiouscat so if you have any questions, ask away. you can also ask me stuff on twitter. let's talk and be friends!
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
> [main twt](https://twitter.com/ctrlbins?s=09)  
> [au archive twt](https://twitter.com/tdclix)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)


	8. high alert

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i did not ask my beta to read and i proofread! but i'm not perfect and i probably still missed or overlooked a mistake so sorry! enjoy tho!
> 
> shoutout to my beta, alex ([@hansapphic](https://twitter.com/hansapphic?s=09))

A rustle nearby startled Yeonjun, immediately he was on guard. It has been two days since the fled Axelle, and the group has been extremely on edge. One little sound and they’d all start bracing themselves for a fight. It didn’t help that Yeonjun was extremely paranoid and still worried about Huening Kai who was still out after his extreme use of magic.

They were close to the last city they needed to visit, Kaehr. Their journey so far has been hard since they weren’t able to stock up on most of their needed supplies. They had to stretch out resources between the eight of them.

The only one who didn’t seem too affected by everything was Taehyun. He even gave up his own things for the others and often distanced himself from the group. From his eyes, Yeonjun could tell he felt guilty for everything that happened in Axelle. Yeonjun wanted to reassure them that it wasn’t his fault, but he didn’t because he knew the dragon would say that he was the one to lose sight of Beomgyu. He’d also bring up how he froze and didn’t stop Huening Kai from using his magic.

He was thankful that Beomgyu seemed to reach out to him though. The other three guards were still a little scared and intimidated by him so they wouldn’t comfort them. Yeonjun doubts Taehyun would open up to them either. Soobin is taking care of Huening Kai so he is preoccupied. The best person right now to talk to Taehyun was Beomgyu.

He looked over to them who were one their own horses in the center of their formation, along with Huening Kai and Soobin who were sharing one.

Yeonjun could see the bags under the prince’s eyes and the way his body slumped. He was extremely tired, and the captain felt bad. He knew he should go talk to him, and if not, he’ll wait for Beomgyu to seek him out. Sometimes it took him a while to admit he needs help and will take his time before seeking out either Yeonjun or Soobin.

“We’re almost at Kaehr, hopefully we can stock up quickly, do our business there, and leave for the capital soon.”

Their journey so far has been really tiring and stressful, and while they all enjoyed this sort of freedom, they were still on a mission and couldn’t wait to be in the safety of the capital walls.

After a few more hours, they arrived at their destination. They repeated going to the guard post for this area and made sure to leave some things there. They also acquired hoods and cloaks to cover themselves, and Yeonjun felt a little safer with it on.

They had someone secure a place for them to stay while they rested at the guard post, and thankfully, the inn looked like the best one they’ve been in.

It was decided that Soobin would stay in the guard post while Huening Kai was unconscious. Yeonjun was a little hesitant to leave them there, but he knew it would look suspicious if they waltzed into town with an unconscious person in their group.

Yeonjun went off to his own room after seeing Taehyun and Beomgyu walk into their own. They already held a meeting at the guard post, and now it was time for them to rest before they begin searching for information.

One thing that made the captain uneasy was the people here. They kept sneaking looks at their group, which isn’t that strange, but it was just the way they kept to themselves and kept whispering in little groups. It was a very different feeling from the other cities, and the timing of this happening made it feel even more off. Kaehr was also the city that was at the border of Arcadia and being near that kingdom and having Beomgyu with them made him suspicious of everything and everyone.

He wasn’t the only one who noticed it too, he could see the others glancing around and shifting their feet, not really hiding their discomfort. Yeonjun really wished they wouldn’t have to stay here for too long.

Yeonjun would need to make more preparations in case things go south again like last time. He was supposed to be prepared for situations like it, but he was completely caught off guard and one of their group members was injured.

He didn’t know how he would face Huening Kai when the time came with all the guilt that rested on his shoulders. The youngest member of the group shouldn’t have had to go as far as he did, but due to Yeonjun’s failure he did.

It was frustrating.

Someone knocked on his door, and when he opened it, he was surprised to see Taehyun standing there. His arms were folded, and he was doing his best to not meet eyes with the young captain. Yeonjun offered him a small smile.

“Hey,” Taehyun whispered, sounding a bit awkward. “I’m about to leave to go do what we discussed earlier, but before I go, I wanted to talk to you.”

Yeonjun couldn’t help himself, his mouth dropped open a little.

“Really? Come in then,” he blurted out as he gestured for Taehyun to come in. The dragon stepped into the room and awkwardly moved closer to the corner. The captain could tell he felt uncomfortable, so he decided to not waste any time.

“What did you want to speak to me about?”

Taehyun let his arms fall to his sides and he sighed. “I know you’re blaming yourself, and I’m going to sound like a hypocrite, but you shouldn’t. It was really none of our faults, but your precious prince doesn’t seem to think that way. Please look out for him when I’m gone?” Yeonjun nodded slowly. Taehyun sighed again before he made eye contact with the captain. Yeonjun flinched a little at the dragon’s intense gaze. He hoped he hasn’t done anything to anger him.

“And you, I can tell how much you’re beating yourself up about the incident. Don’t. You’re one of the strongest people here, don’t let it get to you too much. Just take this and use it as a lesson,” Taehyun said firmly before he left the room, leaving a stunned Yeonjun behind.

“Did Taehyun just comfort me and scold me at the same time?” Yeonjun asked himself. He felt oddly comforted by Taehyun’s words and didn’t know what to make of it. He shook his head and made his way to Beomgyu. He was done moping around about it.

** -** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚎  ** ** 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

Once Taehyun left the captain’s room, his face turned tomato red. It was a little embarrassing for him to do it, but something made him act impulsively. He tried to shove down those irrelevant thoughts and focus on the task he was given.

Since no one knows how his human form is and would not expect him to be the Crown Prince’s dragon companion, he had an advantage right now. He could walk freely and ask around.

His plan was to pose as someone from another kingdom who was interested in moving. People might potentially be a littler nicer and more willing to give information out. He wouldn’t look suspicious going around too since he can pass it off as looking at potential places to stay in.

“Excuse me,” he softly called out to a vendor who seemed to be on break. He smiled and prepared to put on his best innocent act. “I’m new here and I was wondering if you could answer some of my questions?”

The vendor looked up and smiled softly.

“Ah, a new member of our wonderful city, welcome, welcome,” the vendor said, he put down the newspaper he was holding and waved Taehyun over. The dragon complied and moved closer and sat down when the vendor brought over a stool for him to sit on.

“Where are you coming from?” the vendor asked. Taehyun knew something was up with these people so he made sure to answer vaguely but not too vague where it wouldn’t satisfy his curiosity.

“I’m from one of the neighboring countries. I wanted a change, and decided to move here,” Taehyun replied, secretly hoping he was very convincing. It seemed to work because the man’s eyes sparkled, and the dragon felt some of the tension in the air dissipate.

“I see… It must’ve been hard doing something like moving away from the place you were born,” the vendor said as he comfortingly rested his hand on the dragon’s shoulder. Taehyun’s eye twitched at the contact, but he didn’t say anything and forced himself to continue the conversation.

“Can you tell me about the city and if you know any place that needs a pair of extra hands? I have time on my hands and wouldn’t mind helping out.”

The vendor hummed. “You look young, how old are you?”

“I’m—” Taehyun paused for a second and converted his age as a dragon to a human’s. “I’m 17.” The vendor nodded, Taehyun could tell he was thinking about something because his brows furrowed. Internally, he hoped it wasn’t some stupid, mundane job. If it was, he would have to hurry up and get an adequate amount of information, so he wasn’t stuck doing whatever job for a long time.

He also didn’t want to spend too much time away from Beomgyu, but he wouldn’t admit that out loud ever.

The vendor leaned closer, and Taehyun unconsciously leaned back. This man loved getting into his personal space a bit too much.

“Well, you’re a strong, young man,” the vendor began as he studied Taehyun who started to fidget. “I know a group that would appreciate someone like you.”

He leaned in to whisper the name of the group. _SERPENT_. Taehyun stored that information away and pushed the vendor away lightly.

“Can you tell me where to meet this group?” he asked politely, still trying to keep up his act. He couldn’t afford to lose this man’s trust, especially when he could be his possible way into the organization. He would have to mention this to the group. It wasn’t originally in their plan and Beomgyu might get mad at him for acting on his own, but there was a perfect opportunity right in front of him, and he was going to take it.

“I don’t know any of the higher ups of the organization, but I do know some low-ranking guys. You seem like a hardworking kid, so I’ll set up a meeting for you,” the vendor offered. Taehyun grinned and bowed to show his gratitude.

“Thank you so much,” Taehyun said.

The vendor patted his back. “I’ll let you know the date and time. Stop by here a little later today and I’ll give you the necessary information.” Taehyun bowed again and said a quick goodbye. His mind raced as he walked away. What was this organization? Who’s pulling the strings? If they’re recruiting now what’s their goal? Were they connected to the rebellion? With how secretive the vendor was, he had a feeling there was a connection there.

“Ahhh!” he screamed out in frustration, and the people around him shot him dirty looks. He apologized for his outburst and continued to pace around. Doing this could potentially put him in danger as well. He knew nothing of the group, he didn’t know the vendor. He could be walking into some shady thing for all he knew. He was confident he could get out a sticky situation, but it would cause the group to worry and might compromise them as well.

He groaned and started walking through busier streets. He was hoping to hear more information from the conversations around him. The dragon made sure he wasn’t doing anything to stick out, and he stuck to the sides of the streets instead of the middle.

He spotted a stall for medicine and herbs and walked over to it. Maybe there was something for Huening Kai.

** -** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚎  ** ** 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

Beomgyu threw himself on his bed and sighed. He’s been spending his time cooped up in the inn and he was getting a little restless. He's useless _again_ , and it wasn't very fun to feel this way. Will he continue to be this way? What kind of future king is he? Letting others do the work for him wasn't his way.

He sighed before he made up his mind. It wouldn't be good for him to keep sulking in his room. He got up and walked out and made sure to tell Yeonjun that he was leaving for some fresh air. 

It was already nighttime, and it was pretty late, but all the repressed energy in him kept him up and he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep.

He snuck onto the roof and sat there, even if he knew that if Yeonjun saw him, he would get scolded. He would worry about it when the time came to. 

It was slightly breezy, and the cool air felt nice on his skin. He closed his eyes and let himself get lost in the moment. His brow furrowed when his thoughts drifted to an empty bed in his shared room.

He couldn't really focus and get a feel for where Taehyun was, but it was late, and he wasn't back yet. He hoped he was safe and okay.

He felt a soft breeze and his eyes opened to see Taehyun standing in front of him. His face was hard to make out since his back was facing the moonlight, but Beomgyu could see his emerald eyes glowing in the dark. It was as if he was summoned by his thoughts. 

"Hey, Prince Charming," Taehyun greeted. He smirked and sat next to him, Beomgyu didn’t say a word and pulled his legs closer to his chest. Taehyun gave him a weird look, but surprisingly did not comment on the prince’s behavior.

“Where were you? What happened? Did you find something?” Beomgyu rapidly asked. Taehyun snorted and Beomgyu threw him a look. He was really worried, and he wanted to be updated on everything.

“Calm down, you sound like a worried spouse right now,” Taehyun teased. He flushed once the realization of what he just said sunk in and Beomgyu turned to hide his red face. “Er, I was told about a group that might want my help or might need it. I met someone who is going to set up a meeting for me.”

That last sentence caught Beomgyu’s attention.

“What!? Taehyun, how could you do something so reckless like that!?” Beomgyu exclaimed. Taehyun flinched and internally told himself that he knew this was coming. Still, he felt a little bad, through their connection he could hear Beomgyu’s concerned thoughts. The dragon sighed. He would just have to try his best to convince Beomgyu to calm down.

“Well, it’s already been arranged. I’ll meet them tomorrow, and then if things go well, I’ll hopefully be accepted the next day which is Tuesday,” Taehyun explained. He looked up to the moon, avoiding Beomgyu’s gaze. “It was the perfect chance for me to find more information about this place.”

“I know, but I really wish you wouldn’t act on your own. We’re partners, we’re in this together. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to you and I was just sitting here twiddling my thumbs,” Beomgyu confessed. He was bitter about it. He told his father that he would take care of everything, but he’s stuck in this situation due to his own mistake. It was pathetic.

“Ah, you’re not pathetic. We’ve been over this already, and I do apologize for going off on my own,” Taehyun admitted. Beomgyu had a point and he knew that if the roles were switched, he would be acting the same way. He rubbed his face with his right hand and poked Beomgyu’s side with the other. Beomgyu looked to him and he groaned.

“I hate doing this but look me in the eyes and tell me that you know none of this isn’t your fault and that you’re not pathetic,” the dragon demanded. The prince’s eyes widened a tiny bit before he hesitantly met Taehyun’s gaze.

“It’s not my fault and I’m not pathetic,” Beomgyu muttered stubbornly. It was a little embarrassing for him to be doing this. Especially with Taehyun. He could see himself doing it with Yeonjun or Soobin, but that’s different because they’re like older brothers, and Taehyun… Taehyun is—

“Why does everyone around me keep blaming themselves? I swear humans and their emotions are weird,” Taehyun complained and unintentionally cut off Beomgyu’s train of thought. If this was what he had to do though, he was going to do it. Seeing his… friends like this made his chest do funny things. It was very unpleasant, and he didn’t like it.

“I’m gonna head down to the guard post tomorrow to check on Soobin-hyung and Huening Kai,” Beomgyu said after a moment of silence. “Do you want me to relay any message to them or something?”

Taehyun pulled out a bag and handed it over to Beomgyu who’s curiosity made him want to open the bag, but he held back the urge.

“Here, I stopped by a stall that sold medicine and other stuff. It might be useful,” Taehyun explained. Beomgyu smiled and put away the bag where it wouldn’t get lost. The conversation continued from there, and the pair talked under the moonlight for a while.

It was really late in the night when all his contained energy was drained. He started to nod off while Taehyun talked about his plans. The dragon noticed this and stood up. He gently shook Beomgyu awake.

“Hey, get up, you’re going to fall asleep on the roof and Yeonjun-hyung would kill me if I left you here and you got sick.”

Beomgyu groaned. “Ugh, I don’t wanna move but you’re right.” Taehyun stuck out his hand and the prince graciously took it. He muttered a thanks once he stood up and stretched. Taehyun dusted off his clothes and ignored the tingly feeling in his hand that came into contact with Beomgyu’s.

“I also need to write that letter to my father.”

“How are you going to send it?”

“Yeonjun-hyung borrowed a messenger bird. The little guy is hanging out with him in his room,” Beomgyu explained. Taehyun let out a tiny ‘oh’ while Beomgyu headed for their shared room and he followed.

Once they entered, Taehyun dropped off a few things and then headed for the bathroom to wash up. Beomgyu didn’t mind being left alone to write to his father. He grabbed out his materials and started to write his report.

_Dear KC,_

_Hello, it’s been a while and I apologize for not speaking to you sooner. A lot of things happened, and I wanted to tell you what happened on our group’s journey. So far, we have met a new friend in Axelle. He is very nice and lovable, and he has the support of many. He also seems to hold great leadership skills._

_Sadly, we were attacked by bandits in Axelle, so we prioritized our safety and left. Zenn was pleasant, but there was nothing in particular that stood out to me. Those bandits are so scary! They had these magical weapons, which seems bizarre, but I saw it clearly. They were very troublesome to deal with. Our youngest is out of commission right now and resting, he did a lot and spent a lot of energy. Our green friend has encountered an organization that is looking to recruit. They seem like an interesting bunch. He meets with them tomorrow. Overall, things have been crazy and a little fast, but we are adapting well. I hope you’re okay and you respond soon. We should be back home soon. Hopefully by the end of the week._

_Regards,_

_CBG_

Beomgyu put down his pen and folded the paper carefully. After sealing it, he got up and walked to Yeonjun’s room. He knocked on the door and waited a few seconds. On the other side a groggy Yeonjun opened the door and glared. Beomgyu offered an apologetic smile and sheepishly gave the captain the letter.

Yeonjun rolled his eyes but accepted it and slammed the door in Beomgyu’s face. The prince snickered at his friend’s antics and made his way to his room. The captain could be so dramatic sometimes.

When he opened the door, Taehyun wasn’t back yet, but he didn’t worry too much and went to sleep and dreamed of a certain pair of emerald eyes.

** -** **𝚜𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑  ** ** 𝚝𝚑𝚎  ** ** 𝚜𝚔𝚢- **

Soobin greeted him at the door the next day. Beomgyu’s eyes were immediately drawn to the bags under his eyes and he frowned. He could see Huening Kai’s figure laying on the bed behind the older Choi, and his heart broke a little.

“Ah, hyung, you look tired. I know you’re taking care of Hyuka, but make sure you take care of yourself,” Beomgyu scolded, Soobin stepped aside and the prince walked in.

“How is he?”

Soobin walked over to Huening Kai’s bed side and he gently checked his temperature with his hand. He pulled back and sat down, Beomgyu did the same on the other side.

“He’s okay, I think he just really exhausted himself too much by using that spell. But, since we don’t know much about magic, I’m not too sure.”

“I see,” Beomgyu replied. He grabbed the bag Taehyun gave him and placed it in Soobin’s hands. “Taehyun went out to get some stuff and asked me to give it to you. He’s hoping this can help somehow.”

Soobin brought the bag over to a table in the corner. He took out some medicine and herbs from the bag and smiled at Beomgyu, looking satisfied with the contents.

“I can use these,” Soobin said happily while examining some of the vials of medicine. Beomgyu smiled. “Tell Taehyun I said thank you.”

_Hey, Soobin-hyung said that the herbs and medicine you bought would be able to be put to use. He says, ‘thank you’._

It took a few minutes for Taehyun to reply.

_Tell him I said, ‘you’re welcome’. I gotta go now, bye._

“Taehyun says you’re welcome,” Beomgyu told Soobin, who was fixing up something at the table. Soobin paused and looked over his shoulder.

“I forget that you two can communicate like that,” he admitted before he finished doing something Beomgyu couldn’t see. He turned around to reveal two cups of tea and handed one to Beomgyu. The prince was surprised Soobin made tea so fast. The noble saw the confusion on Beomgyu’s face, and he chuckled before taking a sip of the tea.

“I already boiled the water beforehand, Taehyun just happened to have got some tea as well,” Soobin explained, he continued to drink quietly while also keeping an eye out on their friend.

“Oh,” Beomgyu responded lamely and took a sip as well. The tea had a nice fragrance and it tasted nice; he would have to ask Taehyun what type he got later. Maybe they could buy some more too, he was sure his father would like to try this.

“I never really had the chance to ask, but how are you doing?” Soobin questioned while he put down the teacup and went to grab a napkin for Beomgyu. The prince sighed, there were a lot of things he had on his mind, and there was no use hiding it from Soobin.

Soobin’s comforted him many times and he knows Beomgyu well enough to know when he is lying or hiding something. He accepted the napkin and began to organize his thoughts. How was he feeling? Everything was moving too fast for him to process and he’s not too sure about how he feels.

“If I’m being honest, I’m not sure? I’m a little frustrated and confused. It’s hard to explain.”

“Oh, Gyu.” The older Choi sat down and frowned, but he gestured for Beomgyu to continue.

“I was feeling super frustrated yesterday and worried. Worried for everyone. Huening Kai, Yeonjun-hyung, you, and Taehyun. I just can’t get the incident out of my head.”

Soobin took Beomgyu’s hand and gently held it to comfort him. Beomgyu glanced to Huening Kai’s still form and he pushed down the urge to cry. Soobin squeezed his hand, and Beomgyu closed his eyes to try and collect himself.

“It’s been hard on all of us, and especially you. I know that this sadly wasn’t your first time experiencing something like this, but I doubt you saw one of your friends get severely injured right in front of you before,” Soobin began, he let go of Beomgyu’s hand and stood up to go sit next to him. “Huening Kai’s life isn’t in danger and everyone is okay. Focus on yourself, and don’t hide anything from me or Yeonjun-hyung. Your health is so important to us, Gyu.”

Beomgyu nodded and pulled Soobin in for a quick hug before he pulled back.

“I—” the prince hesitantly whispered. “I’m also really worried about Taehyun…”

Soobin raised a questioning brow. Seeing that, Beomgyu began to tell Soobin about his plans.

“He should be meeting them soon, and I don’t know. I think having him far away in a potentially dangerous situation is making me feel uneasy,” Beomgyu confessed, catching Soobin by surprise. This wasn’t a development he expected to happen.

“Well, I don’t know much about having a dragon companion, but I can see why,” Soobin replied. Beomgyu knew he had a point, but he knew it was something different, something he couldn’t understand. “Anyways, enough about me for now, I want to check up on Huening Kai myself.”

Soobin side eyed Beomgyu but didn’t mention the obvious topic change. He got up and started to clean up the area again.

“Could you check his temperature for me, please?” Soobin asked while he gathered their teacups.

“Sure.”

Beomgyu got up and made his hands hover over Huening Kai’s head. Something within him stopped him from touching the noble, it was like he lost control of his own body. Suddenly, the marks appeared all over him, and he was finally able to place his hands on his friend’s head. Everything seemed fine until the marks glowed green and a bright flash emitted from the both of their bodies.

Beomgyu felt the magic leave his palms, but he wasn’t sure what was happening.

It felt like the ceremony but a little different.

“What happened!?” Soobin exclaimed once the light died down. Beomgyu could only stare back at him with a bewildered expression on his face. He didn’t know either and he was a little scared.

“I-I don’t know,” he said, slightly beginning to panic. There was a groan and the two’s eyes went to Huening Kai. Beomgyu quickly took his hands off, and he along with Soobin just watched as the young noble’s eyes fluttered open.

“Is… is he waking up?”

The prince’s jaw dropped open and Huening Kai slowly sat up and looked around the room.

“W-Water, please,” he croaked once his eyes landed on Soobin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are always appreciated, i love you all <3
> 
> SOCIAL MEDIA:  
> [main twt](https://twitter.com/ctrlbins?s=09)  
> [au archive twt](https://twitter.com/tdclix)  
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.qa/loafae)
> 
> **WORLDBUILDING FACTS:**
> 
>   
> _Noble House of Choi_
> 
>   
> Beomgyu, Yeonjun, and Soobin belong to this House. They are the ruling House of the kingdom at the moment. It's a little complicated to explain why Soobin and Yeonjun aren't labelled princes and why Beomgyu gets the throne despite being younger, but i'll try my best to explain everything. Essentially, they're all related but only Beomgyu gets the throne due to the fact that first born son gets the throne and one of his ancestors was older than Yeonjun's/Soobin's. Since his father is King, he can't be head of the House, so it was passed onto Soobin's dad, and since Yeonjun's dad is the General of the military, he can't be head of the House as well. It's a little complex, but all three will inherit their fathers' positions. Feel free to ask me questions if you're confused or need more clarification.


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